Duo
by Riku-Rocks
Summary: Takes place shortly after the end of Kingdom Hearts 2. The Key Bearers are called on another journey. This time the enemy is found outside, as well as within. A strange link to the past will determine the future. Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.
1. A path is opened

Chapter 1: A path is opened.

Sora ran out to the shoreline. Something about the view before him felt strangely familiar. Riku stood, still and silent, in the equally quiet water. His back, which was facing Sora, was reflected perfectly in the clear water below him. Shaking off the feeling of deja vu, Sora began wading toward his best friend.

"What'cha doing?" asked Sora, as he raised his arms and linked his fingers behind his neck.

"Waiting" was all the other said.

"For what?"

"Wish I knew." With those words, Riku pulled a small, clear, corked bottle out of his pocket. Sora noticed the note inside, but it was the seal on it that surprised him. A "v" spread out into two sweeping lines that gracefully curved and spiralled, never actually touching; yet creating an elegant heart just the same. Before Sora could ask who it came from, Riku unceremoniously yet gracefully flung the bottle into the sea. Sora lowered his hands and furrowed his brows, confused for the moment. A slight smile briefly touched Riku's lips. "I wrote it last night" He answered Sora's unspoken question.

"Who's it for?" asked Sora, when Riku failed to read his mind ...or just to answer it...on that one as well. Riku started to say something, at least he opened his mouth, but then he closed it without making a sound. He turned his head to look at Sora for the first time since he had wadded out to stand beside him.

"I... I'm not sure yet." He tilted his head down slightly, and gazed back at the sea but his eyes did not seem to be seeing anything in front of them. "I've been having these weird dreams lately, almost like distant memories washing up to the surface, but I know they're not mine."

"Whose then?"

"I don't know..." He turned his gaze to Sora. "But I can only think of one person whose memories would be there." That too-familiar-distant-look started appearing on Riku's face, so Sora decided to lighten the mood for now.

He smiled and turned to face Riku "Maybe you're just thinking too hard on it. It's probably nothing."

That small smile touched his friend's lips again. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Sora's smile widened and he turned to look out over the sea. "Hey...uh...the sun's going to be setting soon. Want to watch it by the Paopu tree?" Riku did not speak, but turned and started off in the direction of the islet where the tree stood. Sora had already started running ahead as he yelled, "Race you!" Then, as Riku shot past him, Sora saw a real smile on his best friend's face for the first time that day.

Things were very much the same as they had been on their little islands. Before the Heartless, the Nobodies, the Darkness, Organization XIII, or any of their countless battles had taken place. A few notable things were different. The two friends did not yearn for adventure the way they used to. They had already seen other worlds, knew they would again, and could fully appreciate their home. Sora was a little less naive. Riku was much quieter. He just did not seem comfortable around other people, except Sora. When they were together, he was just Riku. They were not so competitive with each other anymore, which was a big change. They knew themselves as well as they had always known each other. They had grown confident in what they could do and exceptive of they could not. After spending so much time without them, Kairi was more independent of the two boys. Today she had been out shopping with Selphie. Sora could not understand how the two girls could spend so much time shopping.

_It's not like they even buy that much stuff_. Nevertheless, Kairi was happy. Sora was too. Riku seemed happy when he was not being all-quiet. Therefore, Sora decided things were going well since they had returned home. Now he leaned against the curved trunk of the Paopu tree, looking out at the horizon. He smiled as a warm breeze picked up and the sun lowered, changing the colours of the sky and the sea. Everything seemed so peaceful, the warm breeze, the rustling of the leaves, the soft thud beside him. _...wait...what?_ Sora turned to see Riku unconscious on the ground.

"Riku!" Sora dropped to his knees and turned Riku over so he could see his face, then shook him by the shoulders. "Riku!" What felt like hours, but must have only been minutes by the suns lack of progress, passed before Riku gave a soft groan and then his eyes blinked a few times before settling open.

"Sora?" he asked softly.

"Riku! Are you okay?"

Riku's voice was stronger when he answered, "Yeah, I'm fine." with that he sat up and his eyes met Sora's from behind their veil of silver bangs. "Really, I'm fine. Will you stop looking at me like that?" Both adjusted to a comfortable sitting position. They sat quietly for a moment as the sky darkened around them. Then Riku's voice, now steady as always, broke the silence. "Sora, I had another one of those dreams... when I was out...I think I should tell you about it...

_A heavily armoured figure was walking down a dusty path in what looked like a wasteland._

It hadn't always been like this.

_Up ahead there was a crossroad where four paths met. Standing at that point was another man also in heavy, ornate armour. The man was shouldering a Keyblade that Riku could not recall having seen before. Stuck in the ground before this unknown man were three Keyblades._

Like they're waiting for us.

_The first one Riku could see was his own, Way to Dawn. Beside it was the Kingdom Key and behind that another Keyblade that Riku could not make out. He noticed another figure approaching from the road opposite him._

Me?

_This man was again armoured similarly to the others, however was smaller and did not move as smoothly as they did._

Sora? No. It can't be him.

_The two armoured figures reached the junction at the same time. The first man, who Riku thought was himself, withdrew Way to the Dawn._

But...how can I be seeing myself?

_The man Riku thought of as Sora drew the remaining two Keyblades. All three men then turned their attention to the fourth path, where another figure could be seen approaching them. Through the dust, the heat, and the confinement of the helm, he could not be make out the fourth figure's face, but something about his approach made Riku feel uneasy. Things happened so quickly after that, it all seemed to blur together_  
How long has this battle been going on?

_The unknown man who had been waiting for them had fallen. He knew that. The armoured figure that reminded Riku of Sora was trying to indicate something behind Riku, but Riku did not care, because something was happening behind the Sora-figure. A path of light was opening behind him and before Riku could reach him._

…Why is it so hard to move suddenly?

_...The light began to engulf Sora._

Sora!

_It was not until he reached out a hand to try to grab his friend that Riku noticed the darkness that was enshrouding him, just as the light was taking Sora. They reached for each other hopelessly as they were each engulfed by opposite elements..._

"...Then the darkness closed in around me...and then I heard you calling me." Sora had stayed quiet as Riku told him all this. He wasn't sure what to say, but he knew one thing for sure. Riku had been right, this did not sound like just a dream. Riku stood, so Sora did the same. Then Riku held out a hand and Way to the Dawn suddenly appeared in it. Not sure why, Sora again followed suite. Without saying anything, Riku turned his blade and touched the tip of it to Sora's own. The wind seemed to pick up around them as a light began to glow where the two Keyblades met. A familiar symbol appeared on the ground, the crown that adorned Sora's necklace. However, this time there was another symbol as well. The heart from Riku's seal was overlapping the crown in such a way that you could not tell which was over which. They just seemed to blend. Then the light from their blades reached out into the sky, stretching to unknown depths.

_Pointing out the way to go_. Sora thought the words to himself, but Riku turned to him as if he had heard them.

"Are you ready for this?"


	2. A journey begins

Chapter 2: A journey begins.

Selphie had gone home. Tidus and Wakka were obsessed with their upcoming Blitzball game. Sora and Riku were the only ones on the islet when Kairi arrived. They were so deep in conversation that they had not noticed her lantern cutting into the night as she approached. She was now on the bridge that led to the part of the islet they were on. They were standing by the Paopu tree with their heads close together and their voices lowered as if someone somehow might hear them.

_This can't be good..._ Kairi thought as she stopped to watch them for a moment. Sora was chattering away excitedly, with his hands moving almost as much as his mouth. Riku stood very still and seemed to be speaking slowly and calmly. _No wonder those to get along so well, you could use a photo of them in place of a ying-yang symbol._ Since they obviously wanted this conversation to be private, she decided to let them know she was there before getting closer. _I have been sort of pushy ever since we were all reunited…_ She thought with a sigh, and then called out to them as she began walking toward them again.

Both boys stopped speaking and simultaneously turned their heads in the direction of the voice that had just yelled "Hey!" Sora's expression was similar to that of a child who was caught sneaking a cookie from the jar, while Riku looked like stone. They both quickly realized it was Kairi and both notably released their tension.

"What are you doing?" The way she drew out the words made it clear to them that she knew something was up, but was trying hard not to be too pushy about it. They both understood things about what the other had done and gone through that Kairi could not. She seemed to know that, but she did not want to be left behind either. Both Sora and Riku understood this, but it was just... _different_ trying to talk to her about this kind of stuff.

Sora looked nervous. "Uhh..." He turned to Riku, who lowered his teal eyes to meet Sora's blue ones. They seemed to meet some unspoken agreement, and then Sora turned back to Kairi looking much more confidant. "We have to go."

"Go? Go where?" She sounded much sterner now.

"Err...well, the Keyblades showed us a path...So, we figure the worlds are calling us again." Sora's confidence seemed to falter at the look on Kairi's face as he said this.

"You're taking me with you this time!" Sora jumped back a little and Riku raised his eyebrows slightly. Kairi had not meant for those words to come out so harshly. ...At least until she knew weather or not they intended to argue with her.

Sora rubbed his head and looked away from her. "I don't know..." He said. "It'll probably be dangerous."

"I don't want you getting hurt either, but your still going!"

"But we're the Key bearers, you're not. You don't have to go when the worlds call."

"So I'm supposed to get left behind again while you guys go on another adventure?!"

Now Sora's confidence had definitely faltered. Riku's however, hadn't shaken at all. He spoke now for the first time since Kairi had interrupted him and Sora. Unlike Sora and Kairi, his voice stayed calm and steady. "Our adventures, as you call them, weren't fun and games, Kairi. I doubt they will be this time either. You won't be able to keep up." Sora nervously nodded his agreement.

"I can help." Kairi was the one whose confidence faltered this time. She obviously did not know how she was supposed to help either.

Sora seemed to gain strength from Riku's back up. "Kairi… Riku and I have fought in all kinds of battles. Even before that, we would spar and stuff here. You've never done any of that, you'd...you'd slow us down." He looked sorry to say that last part, but it was true.

"I can't learn?" At least that sounded more like the old Kairi they knew.

"We don't have time to train you to fight like we can." Sora was genuinely sorry, but he did not see how they could take her with them.

He turned to Riku, who quietly said, "Magic".

"Huh?" Sora had no clue where this was going.

"If we can get someone to teach her, she can learn to use magic." Riku explained.

"How do you know?" Sora still sounded confused, but hopeful.

"Naminé. Although, she never used it to fight like we do."

At that, Sora finally seemed to catch on. "I know! Aerith! When we all fought at Radiant Garden, Well, it wasn't Radiant...but it was...Anyway, Aerith used different spells to help her friends in battle, even though she didn't fight."

"We could drop her off on our way to see King Mickey." Riku suggested.

Sora was getting excited now. "Yeah! And we have to talk to Leon and the others, too. They'll know if something's up." He turned back to Kairi after Riku nodded his assent. "So, you won't be able to help from the start, but at least you're not getting left behind again. Okay, Kairi?"

"Okay. But you guys better check in once in a while." She threatenly pointed a finger at them, but her tone gave the joke away.

"We will." Sora said as he looked from Kairi to Riku. "Let's get ready to go!"

* * *

Some time later, Sora and Riku were putting together the gummi blocks that Sora had saved away. Riku did not have any experience with gummies, but he seemed to understand the blueprint just fine. This worked well, since Sora was familiar with the gummies, but was confused by the blueprint. Together, they were making decent progress. Kairi had gone to purchase supplies for the trip to Radiant Garden.

"Which one is the navigation gummi?" Riku asked from where he had been working on the ship.

"This one." Sora tossed the gummi at him. "Hey, Riku?"

Riku had caught the gummi and was trying to install it. "Yeah?"

"Do you think it's a good idea to bring Kairi with us?"

"We're just taking her to Radiant Garden. You said those friends of yours watched her before and she'll be safer with them than she would be by herself here. At least we won't have to worry about her being kidnapped ..._again_."

Sora laughed a little at that last comment, "Yeah, you're right."

* * *

Later on, Kairi was looking at the gummi ship as the boys loaded everything up and made some final inspections on their work.

"Sora?" she asked "Are you _sure_ you can fly this by yourself?"

Sora sighed, "For the last time, _yes_. I've flown one just like it before and Riku can control the weapons if we need them." He had meant for that to be reassuring, however, by the look on Kairi's face, he decided it had not been a good idea to mention the possibility of an attack. It obviously had not occurred to her. "So, err... We're all set, let's go!" The smile Sora had been wearing as he said this faltered when Kairi's expression changed from worried to confused.

"...But you guys haven't been home yet. Won't you need any of your stuff?"

Sora looked away and began pushing some sand around with one foot. "Well, no, I mean... I didn't need anything from there last time. Besides, after being gone for so long and the whole everybody-forgetting-about-me-for-a-year thing; I don't think my parents will find me packing for a trip as funny as they did when they caught me packing for the raft."

Kairi nodded, "I guess that makes sense, but aren't you going to leave a note or anything?"

Sora just shook his head, _no_.

Kairi's eyes moved up and to Sora's left, "What about you, Riku?"

Riku had apparently finished and was standing by Sora and listening quietly. He shook his head slowly. "I didn't return when the islands did and I wasn't erased from everyone's memory. My parents assumed I had died, so they got rid of most of my old stuff. Like Sora said, I hadn't needed any of it before. Anyway, things have been pretty tense there since I got back. I think it will be better if I just go." With that, he turned and entered the ship.

Sora gave Kairi one more reassuring smile, and then followed Riku.

A few minutes later, they were in the air and on their way.


	3. Memory of Xehanort

Chapter 3: Memory of Xehanort.

"Wow, the restoration project is really coming along," Sora said cheerfully as the three friends made their way through the busy marketplace of Radiant Garden. He noticed that different people were operating Huey, Dewey, and Louie's shops, as well as Scrooge McDuck's ice cream parlour. _They must have gone home..._ Sora's smile broadened at the thought of all his friends being able to return home at last.

"Where to now?" Kairi asked as she looked around excitedly. She did not seem to remember her old home world at all. As such, both she and Sora were practically bouncing with enthusiasm.

"We should start by checking in at Merlin's house. There's always someone there." After the others gestured their agreement, Sora led the way to the borough.

* * *

Sora opened the door to the small house without even knocking. Kairi walked in right behind him and Riku followed.

"Welcome to the Radiant Garden Recons...Sora!"

"Hey Yuffie!" The very hyperactive ninja trotted over to Sora as he said this.

"Kairi! Long time, no see! And who's…" Yuffie cut her sentence short with a gasp. "This must be Riku!" She turned to Sora, who nodded. Then she started bouncing on her heels. Kairi began to giggle. Riku just looked from one hyperactive brunette to another. "That's great! You found him!" Her smile was so broad now she had to squint her eyes.

"Actually, he kind of found me first…"

"That's usually how it works," said a gruff voice from the corner, drawing their attention to Cid, who was working on a computer that looked like it had been struck by lightning. "You work that hard to find something, only to learn that it was never even lost to begin with." Cid smiled as he turned to face the new arrivals, "I guess you figured out that blueprint just fine. How's the ship?"

"Great, except that Sora was flying it in the wrong direction for over an hour." Kairi answered as she gave Sora a teasing look.

"Hey, I've never flown from Destiny Islands before. Riku didn't notice at first either. Not until-"

"Sora, Kairi, it's so good to see you." The calmness of the new voice announced Aerith's arrival. "And you must be Riku." Riku gave a brief nod. "I'm pleased to meet you. This is great, everyone's together at last." Aerith's passive voice and demeanour were a big contrast to Yuffie's energetic greeting.

"Aerith! It's great to see you again!" Kairi greeted her hopefully soon to be tutor and her over eagerness showed.

"What are you all doing here?" Aerith asked kindly.

"We wanted to know if you could teach Kairi to use magic," Sora blurted out.

"The boys are going off again, and I want to help, but I can't do anything," Kairi explained.

"Of course, I'd be happy to help you, but it will take some time to learn."

"That's fine!" Kairi practically yelled in her enthusiasm. She nervously played with her hair and added much more calmly, "At least I won't be just waiting for Sora and Riku to come home again."

"So the worlds have called you two out again?" asked Cid.

"Looks like it," answered Sora, "Have you guys heard of anything weird going on lately? How about the heartless or the nobodies?"

"Well, the town's defensive system keeps most of the heartless out. There's still some by the old castle ruins. They just seem to be drawn there. Haven't seen any Nobodies since your last visit. Leon and Tron have been mentioned something strange in Ansem's old computer, though. It seems there's a file closed off and none of their codes or overrides will open it."

"Maybe we should go check it out," said Sora as he looked to Riku.

"Sounds like a good place to start," Riku agreed.

"Hey! He talks!" Yuffie exclaimed.

Kairi giggled again and turned to Sora and Riku. "You guys go ahead, I'm going to stay here and get started." She smiled at Aerith, who nodded and smiled back.

* * *

When the two friends reached the bailey, Sora looked over the newly repaired stairway and saw Leon heading toward the postern. He hurried ahead to catch up to him. Riku, however, had stopped walking and was now looking at the castle ruins in the distance. His memories of this place got a little fuzzy here and there; Due to him being taken over by Xehanort's heartless and the darkness. Nevertheless, he remembered enough. Too much in fact. He had been manipulated, and betrayed the friends he had meant to help. Riku idly wondered if he could ever make up for it all.

_It doesn't matter. He forgives me, right?_ He tried to convince himself yet again.

Then his thoughts were cut short... It started as more of a feeling than anything else. He could sense a dark presence.

"Sora…" He whispered to himself. Then he began running in the direction that Sora had taken off in.

That was when the sounds reached him.

* * *

Leon had been heading back to the computer room when Sora had ran up and called him.

Leon stopped and turned to face Sora, "I had wondered if you'd be turning up."

"Because of Ansem's computer? Cid said there was a blocked file."

"Yes, whoever blocked off those files knew what they were doing. It obviously wasn't Ansem, and the person who _did_ do it clearly didn't want Ansem to know what they knew. Even Tron can't figure it out."

"How can the files be blocked from Tron?"

"Like I said, whoever did this knew what they were doing. We figure it must have been one of Ansem's apprentices. Maybe the one from that portrait."

"Xehanort? Great! We need some info on him."

"Don't get too excited, we need to access those files first. Maybe you can help Tron somehow. Come on..."

"Okay, but we need to wait for…"

Just then, a dark portal opened a few feet away.

Heartless started pouring out of the newly opened portal along with three creatures that Sora had never seen before. They were silver and slightly transparent, with the shape of robed humans except they had no faces or distinguishing features. If someone who had not spent a good deal of time fighting heartless were to see them, they would probably think these creatures were either a figment of their imagination or ghosts. Sora called the Keyblade to him and backed up until he was standing beside Leon, who had also drawn his weapon.

Only a couple of minutes at most could have passed. Probably less, but the wave of heartless was unrelenting. Leon and Sora never stopped swinging their weapons. What was worrying Leon was the fact that the new enemies had not joined the battle yet. They were standing at the sidelines, watching and waiting. For what, he could not guess. Until Sora fell, probably from sheer exhaustion. Then they moved in with frightening speed.

The hoard of heartless was preventing Leon from reaching the unconscious boy. He slashed his way through until he could no longer see past the cloud of black, which was all that remained of several heartless. As the cloud faded, he caught a wisp of something silver and attacked with all the strength he could. To his surprise, another blade stopped his own, and then he felt a hand strike his face. As his eyes watered and dark specks appeared, he felt another quick strike to his solar plexus. Then he was airborne. He landed hard and rolled to a standing position. With one hand holding his sword and the other his stomach, he prepared for the follow-up attack that was sure to come, but it never did. A dark cloud was filling the area.

As it faded, Leon could see someone standing over Sora. It was a boy with silver hair and deep aquamarine eyes; he looked barley a year older than the key bearer did. He was facing Leon with his blade drawn in a defensive stance, clearly protecting Sora. The blade looked like none Leon had seen before. The only thing it resembled at all was a Keyblade. Then Leon remembered The King telling him something about a "_true Keyblade master_", the very friend Sora had been searching for…

"Riku..." Leon said the name aloud as he recalled it. Where as Sora might have become curious or softened at the mention of his name, this boy did not. He tightened his grip on the Keyblade and fixed Leon with a cold stare. His free hand gestured upward and suddenly Sora was illuminated by a soft green light.

* * *

Sora woke up on the floor and immediately sat up. All the heartless were gone, as well as the strange beings that had accompanied them. However, an equally strange view greeted him. Riku and Leon appeared to be facing off. Riku was clearly guarding Sora and Leon looked as close to confused _...or is that impressed? It's hard to tell with Leon..._ as Sora had ever seen him.

"Sora?" Riku turned his head so that he could watch both Sora and Leon.

"What's going on? Riku? Leon? Did I miss something?" Sora looked from one friend to the other as he spoke.

"This is Leon?" The Way to the Dawn vanished as Riku turned around to kneel beside Sora. "You alright?"

"Yeah, what happened? What were those things? Why does it look like you and Leon were fighting?" Sora and Riku stood and turned to face Leon, although they were still looking at each other as they spoke.

"You were on the ground when I got here. I don't know what those things were, but they obviously meant to harm you, so I destroyed them. Then your friend here attacked me and I got him out of the way. When he didn't attack again, I finished off the heartless and used a health potion spell on you. I wasn't sure who he was so…" Riku allowed his sentence to trail off, then shrugged and flashed a brief smirk.

"You okay then Leon?" asked Sora, as he knew that was all the explanation Riku was going to offer.

Leon had also put his weapon away and, despite the bruises on his face, he wore a light smile. "I'm fine. So this is Riku. I'm glad you found each other. Is this who you wanted to wait for earlier?"

It took a moment for Sora to remember what Leon was referring to. "Oh, before the heartless attacked... Yeah."

"Then lets go."

As Leon began to lead the way, Sora noticed for the first time some similarity between the former and Riku. Neither seemed to like to talk anymore than they had to and both tended to take odd things in stride. Sora could tell already that this was going to be a confusing journey. He took one last glance behind him; the portal was gone. He could see the opening to the maw, and the old castle in the distance.

"Sora?" Riku's voice was barley audible.

Sora turned his head just in time to see his friend fall down to his knees.

"Riku!" He dropped beside him and held his shoulders. Riku hardly seemed able to hold himself up, his head hung down as far as his neck would allow. Sora remembered Riku had said that he heard Sora calling him that night on the beach. _That brought him back._ "Riku! Riku, come on. Riku!"

Riku's eyes fluttered open again. He raised a hand to quiet Sora as he stood. "They _are_ Xehanort's memories."

Sora found the look in his aqua eyes to be unfamiliar. _Is that fear or…?_

"Are you two alright?" Leon approached the two boys. He must have realized they were not following him and turned back. He stopped a few feet away and looked from one to the other, "What's wrong?"

Sora quickly released Riku's shoulders, glanced at Leon, and then he looked to Riku. He didn't have to ask his question aloud. Riku, who had regained his composure when he heard Leon approach, simply nodded.

"Riku's been having these dreams; the last two have hit when he was awake though. They're memories of Xehanort's. That's why I said we need some information on him. The Keyblades showed us the path after the last one. We know there's a connection. But we're not sure what's going on yet." Sora explained.

Now Leon's expression was more concerned than Sora had ever seen. "Are you sure they're Xehanort's memories?"

"Yes." Riku answered. "Do you think this computer can tell us anything useful?" He asked, now looking at Sora.

"Maybe, Leon said he might have been the one who blocked the files they can't open."

Riku nodded, "I think he's right." Noticing the expression on Sora's face, he added, "I'll explain later, let's go."


	4. Keyblade War

Chapter 4: Keyblade War.

Leon had walked ahead of the two boys once they crossed the postern. Now they weaved their way through the maze of corridors that led to Ansem's computer room. As Riku crossed in front of Sora to enter the hallway that led to Ansem's study, which stopped Sora from turning the wrong way, Sora realized something...

Riku had never been in this building before and yet he did not need Sora to show him the way. In fact, it had been Riku that led Sora through the labyrinth of halls when he could not remember which way to turn.

When they entered the study, the secret entrance to the computer room was already open. Sora had crossed the study and was about to enter this opening when he noticed that Riku had stopped without a word again. He turned and saw his best friend standing by Ansem's old desk. Riku's head was slightly downcast as usual but his eyes were closed, which was not. His right hand was just barely touching his chest, right over his heart, and every muscle in his body was contracted. As if he was in pain.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

At the sound of Sora's voice, Riku's eyes snapped open and his hand dropped to his side. He gave a brief nod, "Mmm-Hmm."

Sora noticed that his friend's muscles had relaxed just enough not to draw any undue attention…_but not all the way_... And not enough for Sora's liking.

Riku crossed the room and began to pass Sora, but Sora stopped him by grabbing his wrist.

"No, you're not. Something's bothering you. Something's _been_ bothering you. Why won't you just tell me what's wrong? Why do you _always_ have to do so much on your own?" Sora's words came out sounding more concerned, and a little harsher, than he had planned.

Riku did not turn around to face Sora when he answered.

"Because I won't risk taking you into darkness with me. Part of Xehanort's heart is inside mine, and he's getting stronger. Soon he'll be…like he was before."

That obviously was not how Riku was originally going to phrase it. At least the last part was not.

"What do you mean? When before? When he possessed you?"

"No, Not yet anyway. I meant after... When you were sleeping."

"When you made King Mickey promise not to tell me what happened to you. What _did_ happen to you? You still haven't told me everything."

"...And I'm not going to. You don't need to know, and I don't plan to let it happen again."

"You're not facing it alone this time."

Riku turned to face Sora, "I know."

With a grin, Sora let go of Riku's wrist. "So, how do you know they're Xehanort's memories?"

A slight smirk touched Riku's lips, obviously glad that Sora had moved on to a new topic. Then it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

"When we were looking at the castle I had another one of those 'dreams'. They don't seem to come in any kind of order. This time I recognized a few things…"

_The darkness had taken him. Literally. It had taken him across unknown lands and impossible distances. Then suddenly he stopped. Not sure of where he was or even who he was, he opened his eyes. He beheld a great castle up ahead, surrounded by beautiful gardens. He began to stumble toward it. He was cold and in pain, but he could not recall why. He fell to his knees, not too far from one of the entrances. He knew he was not going to make it. His eyes began to feel heavy, his whole body felt heavy. It was as if sleep was taking him, but this was not sleep. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and a distinct voice was speaking to him. "Are you alright?" _

Diz.

_"Stay still, you'll be fine now… Ienzo, get one of the others and bring a stretcher and some medicine. This man needs help." He drifted into unconsciousness hearing that voice try to comfort him._

_Xehanort awoke in the room that had become his some time ago. He had dreamt of his arrival again. It bothered him that he could not recall anything from before it. The experiment had brought this much back, but it was not enough. What was the darkness that he recalled? Where had it taken him from and how? He walked across his room and looked at the files on his desk. One was filled with copies of anything he could find on the mysterious Keyblade. Why did that sound so familiar to him? The other contained notes on his proposed experiment. The other apprentices were nearly as intrigued by the darkness of the heart as he was._

Nearly.

_But master Ansem no longer wished to continue this line of research. Thus did a new plan begin to unfold. If Xehanort could not convince Ansem, then __**he**__ would replace him. He closed his eyes as he recited, "Four paths. Four bearers."_

Not anymore.

_"But one Master of the Keyblade."_

"…Then I heard you calling me, and I came back again."

Sora just stared at his friend for a moment, unsure of how to respond. This was really happening.

_Part of Xehanort is really inside Riku's heart_. The thought hit Sora like a sledgehammer. _What am I supposed to do? I have to help Riku._ "We have to find out what we can. There _has_ to be something we can do. There just… has to be." _How are we supposed to fight this?_

"I think this is somehow related to the worlds calling us out. The timing cannot just be a coincidence, but I don't see how Xehanort can be a threat to the worlds like this. Someone else must be up to something. I'll give you three guesses on who," Riku looked at Sora knowingly.

"Huh? Who? Oh. Right."

Riku nodded, "Maleficent. We never did get a chance to finish her off."

"Are you two coming?"

Both boys turned at the sound of Leon's voice.

"Yeah," Sora answered, "Sorry, we got kind of wrapped up."

"Hmm. Why doesn't that surprise me?" Leon turned and headed back into the computer room and this time Sora and Riku followed.

"Hi Sora. Is this Riku?" Tifa was standing near the doorway to the heartless factory; beside her was Cloud, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hi Tifa. Yep, this is him." He looked at Riku and grinned, "And that's Cloud. You and him will probably get along well."

Clouds eyebrows furrowed and Riku raised one of his as he glanced at Sora. Tifa and Sora stifled their laughter.

Suddenly Tron's voice cut in from the large computer's speakers. "Attempt 32 failed. I don't think this is working Leon."

"Hey Tron!" Sora said looking around as if he were speaking to the room itself. "This is Riku."

"Hello Sora, Riku. I'm glad you found your friend Sora."

"Thanks, but he actually found me. Long story... Anyway, what's this we hear about a file you guys can't open?"

"Your other friends and I have been unsuccessfully attempting to open it. The user who created it somehow kept it hidden from Ansem and the MCP. I do not know how it was programmed to keep even the MCP or myself from accessing it, but so far it seems that only the correct password will open it."

"We've tried everything we can think of. We don't even know if these files are corrupted like the others were when we first accessed Ansem's computer," Leon interjected. "Maybe we're just wasting time, but I have a feeling this will mean something important later. Your arrival is all the conformation I need."

Tifa nodded, "The timing is certainly strange. We just found this a few days ago."

As they all continued discussing other ways they might attempt to access the files. Sora asked if there was anything inside the computer they could unlock with the Keyblades or just fight. Leon looked slightly amused, as he said "_no_". Tifa suggested that Cid could try to whip up a virus that might confuse the password protection. Tron did not like that idea.

They did not even notice when Riku quietly approached the computer and typed in a few simple keystrokes.

They did however notice Tron's next statement: "Password correct. Access granted."

Tifa and Cloud moved away from the wall to look at the computer screen. Leon looked at Riku with the closest thing to shock Sora had ever seen on his face. Sora and Riku could not help but grin at one another.

Then everyone's attention was drawn to the computer screen.

It appeared to be information on the Keyblades that had been derived from various sources. There were notes on the variations of the two main legends; _one stated the key bearer had saved the worlds; the other claiming he had sent it into chaos_. It also mentioned four paths: light, dark, present, and in-between. Originally, each path had its own bearer, chosen by the Keyblades, but only one was the '_true master of the Keyblade_'. However, it seemed that the natural order of the Keyblades had been forcibly altered during a mysterious event known only as the Keyblade War. During which, one of the key bearers was destroyed and two were 'lost'. After that, the Keyblades vanished into legend.

"He did it," Riku stated quietly.

Sora snapped out of the stupor he had drifted into at seeing all the information appear on the bright screen.

"Who did what?" Leon asked, looking from Riku to Sora and then back to Riku again.

"Xehanort destroyed the other key bearer, and then the Keyblades took the remaining two back into their elements to keep them hidden for awhile." Riku stated all this rather calmly as his gaze moved between Leon and Sora.

"So…Xehanort was a key bearer once?" Sora looked confused, "But then why couldn't Xemnas use the Keyblade? Roxas could."

"The Keyblade chose to let Roxas use it. We don't know why. It also chose not to let Xemnas use its power anymore. Probably because he had misused it. I couldn't use it for a little while either." Riku's spoke that last sentence quietly and that too-familiar-distant-look appeared in his eyes as he looked at Sora.

Sora made a mental note to bring this up again later. He knew he would never get Riku to talk in front of everybody. "Why would the Keyblade choose to let Roxas use it?" he asked instead of pressing his growing concern.

"Xehanort had chosen to turn his heart over to darkness for power. Both 'Ansem' and Xemnas were halves of someone who had already lost himself to the darkness; Roxas was half of someone who hadn't," Riku suggested.

"But the timeline doesn't fit," said Tifa, "Xehanort couldn't have been alive during the Keyblade War. He would have been ancient when Ansem the Wise found him."

"In one of the dreams I had that took place during the Keyblade War-" Riku stopped and looked at Tifa and Cloud to see if they seemed confused by the statement. They merely nodded for him to continue. Leon must have told them when Sora and Riku fell behind. "There was a bearer that reminded me of Sora. I couldn't see his face because of the armour he wore, but there was something about him. Maybe the Keyblades don't choose a new bearer. Maybe they just find the current incarnation of their original."

"So Xehanort was actually that Key Bearer reincarnated..." Leon said slowly.

"...And some of the memories that the experiments brought back were actually of his past self," Riku said thoughtfully.

"So, you and me were Key Bearers before too?" Sora asked Riku as he placed a finger on his chin, clearly trying to wrap his head around all of this.

Riku shrugged, "It seems that way." He typed in the command to print the file.

As he stepped back from the computer, Way to the Dawn appeared in his hand. At the same time, Sora's Keyblade appeared in his.

Riku held his out first. When Sora touched the tip of his blade to Riku's the tips began to glow just as they had on Destiny Islands. A slight breeze arose from nowhere, and the same two symbols appeared intertwined on the ground below. Then the light shot out, once again showing them the way.

"I guess we need to hurry up," Riku looked at Sora as he allowed his Keyblade to vanish.

"Yeah; Sorry guys, we've gotta go. You know the drill... Worlds are calling." Sora let his Keyblade disappear as well, and then addressed Riku. "We have to stop back at Merlin's first, to say goodbye to Kairi and everyone."

* * *

After saying their brief farewells, the two Key Bearers were in their ship and ready to head on to Disney Castle. The plan changed however, when they noticed an odd reading around Twilight Town.

"I don't know what these readings mean," Sora admitted a little sheepishly.

"I don't either," Riku calmly stated, "but I have a strange feeling about it. There's more darkness than there should be. I think we should go there before we go see King Mickey and your friends."

"Okay, Sounds good to me."

A small smirk appeared on Riku's face, "Hey, Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to teach me to fly this thing?"

Sora smiled back, "Okay, Riku."

And they were on their way.


	5. Mysteries of Twilight

Chapter 5: Mysteries of twilight.

"Have you been here before?" Sora asked Riku as they walked through the tunnel way of Twilight Town.

"Mmm-Hmm. I didn't spend much time here though. I spent most of my time here in the mansion and the duplicate town created by Diz… I mean, Ansem the Wise."

"Why did you go in there?"

Riku wore a small, fond smile as he slowly shook his head, "You never were that quick to catch on."

"Hey! What does _that_ mean?"

Riku flashed a smirk at Sora before calming his features and looking forward once more as they continued walking. "I came to look out for Roxas. The Organization found a way to send in Nobodies. Someone had to make sure he stayed safe. Without him, we couldn't wake you; and I wasn't about to trust anyone when it came to that."

"Did you ever meet Hayner and the gang?"

"I didn't actually 'meet' anyone. I know whom you're talking about though. They were Roxas' friends in the duplicate town. I sent Kairi here, to them, when Axel tried to take her. Of coarse, that didn't work out as well as I had hoped."

"_You_ sent Kairi here? I thought it was The King! Why did you do that, anyway?"

"Axel was trying to kidnap her so that he could use her to get you... Not that I can really blame him."

"What do you mean by _that_?"

"He wanted to bring Roxas back, just like I wanted to bring you back."

"Oh..." Sora seemed to drift for a moment but then his eyes suddenly snapped back into focus, "But Kairi and Pence mentioned Pluto. Anyway, why _here_? And what do mean 'as well as you had hoped'?"

Riku sighed and explained calmly, "I called Pluto through the paths that I opened, and he led her through. I chose here because I thought she could wait with your friends until you came back. That way, you wouldn't have to search for her again and you would both be safe... But you know what happened instead."

"Ooohh… Riku, I-" Sora's response was cut short as several heartless appeared around them.

In a flash, Riku had spun around so his back was facing Sora's and both boys were standing at the ready with their Keyblades in hand. None of the heartless were particularly strong, but their numbers were enough to make up for that. After several minutes of fighting, the last wave fell and the key bearers looked at one another.

"There weren't any heartless here before," Riku glanced around to be sure the heartless had indeed stopped coming.

Sora released his Keyblade, "You're right, it was just nobodies."

Way to Dawn disappeared too, as Riku seemed satisfied that no more heartless were coming just now. "We should check the mansion. They could have come through there," the silver-haired boy said as he began to walk once again.

"Let's see Hayner, Pence, & Olette on the way. They may have heard if anything strange has been happening," Sora added as he fell into step with Riku and the two headed toward the mentioned friends' usual spot.

* * *

Just as expected, Hayner, Pence, and Olette were at their usual hangout, eating sea-salt ice cream and laughing, when Sora and Riku pushed through the curtain that cloaked the entrance.

"Sora, Hey!" Olette cheerfully called.

"How have you been?" asked Pence.

"What brings you back here?" Hayner asked.

Sora laughed as they all greeted him simultaneously.

"Hey! Is this Riku?" Olette brought the others attention to the boy beside Sora.

"So you guys finally caught up with each other?" Hayner said more than asked when Sora nodded.

"After what The King said, we were worried things might end up bad on that end," added Pence.

"Yeah, I was pretty worried for awhile there too," answered Sora.

"Oh really? We never would have guessed," Hayner said sarcastically, causing Riku to smirk a little.

"And you guys were right; it _was_ Riku helping me out all along."

"Of coarse we were," stated Hayner. "Was there any ever doubt?"

Pence suddenly looked thoughtful, "You know, it's funny that you guys turned up right now."

Sora's smile faltered, "Why?"

"Because that old magician at the 'haunted' mansion was just mentioning you."

"What old magician?"

"The one that The King sent to help guard the weird opening that you guys went through. Morfyn or something..."

"Merlin?!" Sora offered enthusiastically.

Riku turned his eyes to Sora, "You know him?"

"Yeah, he helped me learn magic. The King told him to when the worlds first started disappearing."

Riku turned his gaze back to Pence and the others, "And you said he mentioned Sora. What was it in reference to?"

"Well it wasn't just Sora, he mentioned both of you. He said he feared you still had _your most difficult journey yet to face_." Pence made the last part sound as dramatic and adventurous as he could.

Sora sighed, but Riku looked un-phased as he addressed Sora. "I think it's time we went to the old mansion."

"We'll go with you," Hayner said.

"Everyone keeps talking about these weird creatures in the woods lately. No one's gone in there for awhile because they think the woods are haunted now too," Pence added.

"They're even talking about repairing that hole in the wall so nothing can come through," Olette chimed in.

"Maybe you should just come as far as that hole then," Riku softly suggested to the three locals.

Sora nodded, "That's probably a good idea."

"Will you be okay though? Just the two of you?" Olette looked a little concerned for them.

Sora chuckled and smiled, "Just the two of us can handle just about anything."

Hayner nodded, "Okay then, we'll drop you guys off at the hole and then head to the clock tower. We'll see you there later."

"Okay."

As the five of them walked through the town, Hayner, Pence, and Olette pointed out things that had changed since Sora's last visit. They also spoke of the last Struggle tournament, which Hayner had won. In addition, Sora stopped here and there to say hello to people he had met during his previous journey. Sora wore his usual broad smile and Riku bore the small one that most people never saw as of late. It was one of the few moments, when the weight of the worlds did not seem so heavy on the two Key Bearers.

When they reached the breached wall that allowed entrance into the woods, they gave brief farewells and went their separate ways. Sora and Riku however kept their uplifted dispositions…until they discovered what the 'weird creatures' in the woods were. They had not even made it halfway through when the heartless appeared, but they were not unexpected. Their companions on the other hand, were.

Along with the heartless were two of the same mysterious silvery creatures that had attacked Sora in Radiant Garden. Just as before, these creatures did not join in the battle at first. Instead, they moved out of reach and hovered at the edge of the battle as the heartless attacked mercilessly.

Sora noticed that Riku was staying close by as they fought, just as he had with the heartless that attacked in the tunnel when they arrived. He was not able to dwell on this observation, however, as a heartless dived at him from the left. He jumped back in time for it to pass him, accidentally opening his friend to the attack. Riku turned and slashed down with his Keyblade, turning the attacking heartless into a pile of black ash. He then brought his blade back up in a sweeping arch, dispatching a few more with the movement. Sora dived to his left and took out a few heartless that seemed to be grouping there. Suddenly the remaining heartless all swarmed in to fill and expand the space Sora had made between himself and Riku.

Now the ghost-like creatures moved in.

They were swiftly coming at Sora from opposite sides. Riku was cutting through the heartless as quickly as he could, trying to reach Sora. Meanwhile, Sora was doing his best to fend off the attacking heartless while trying to keep an eye on the silvery enemies that were closing in. One raised its arm and suddenly there was a staff there, the other did the same only it held a long sword. The weapons had the same silvery translucent appearance as their bearers.

The swordsman was the first to reach Sora. He blocked its attack and hoped to parry, however the strange creature proved stronger than its transparent form implied. It threw Sora's blade off and jumped out of the way before he could counter. Regaining his balance, Sora now moved in for the attack. This time his Keyblade connected with the creature. He spun around for another attack, but fell short as the other creature's staff struck him. He rolled back into a standing position and prepared to defend himself. It was then that Sora noticed the cloud of black smoke behind the creature. It looked as though hundreds of heartless had been destroyed. It was from this black cloud that Way to Dawn emerged, striking the creature from behind as Riku flew out of the dark mass and shot a dark aura spell behind Sora.

Both Sora and Riku turned, their backs facing each other as each faced one of the ghostly rivals. They attacked as the enemies were recovering, and finished them off. The new enemies seemed to simply fade away when they perished. Sora and Riku silently released their Keyblades.

"Those things keep focusing their efforts on you." Riku looked concerned as he broke the silence, "And they used the heartless to strategize the attack both times."

Sora looked confused for a moment before realizing what Riku meant. "They _did_ use the heartless on Radiant garden, didn't they? To wear out Leon and me. But why would they just want me? You were alone when they attacked us then..." He looked up thoughtfully and held up a finger, "Maybe they didn't know you can use the Keyblade too."

"Unless they're after something else," said Riku thoughtfully. "Let's ask if Merlin or King Mickey know anything about them."

"Okay, C'mon."

* * *

They climbed the stairs inside the old mansion. Riku turned right to head toward Diz's computer room. He stopped, however when he saw that Sora had done the same. The later was now staring off to the door at the end of the left hall.

Sora turned to Riku after a few seconds, "We're you and Naminé friends?"

"Well…We got along well enough, but there was always some mistrust there. At least on my end."

"I guess that makes sense," Sora shrugged and the two continued toward the computer room. Riku had explained everything he could about what had happened to Sora in Castle Oblivion when Sora asked him during their first few days back on their island.

When they entered the computer room, they both stopped in their tracks. It was quite different in appearance then it had been when they were last here. Then it felt cold and purposeful. Now it was warm and cluttered. Moreover, Sora recognized most of the books, furniture, and gadgets that filled the room.

He smiled, "Merlin's made himself at home."

Suddenly an annoyed voice was heard from somewhere in the room, "And exactly who are you to invite yourselves into someone's home?"

"Is that Merlin?" Riku searched the room with his eyes.

"No," Sora was looking around too. "Uh, hello? I'm Sora and this is Riku."

A small brown owl flew out of a small round birdhouse, which was hanging off an overhead monitor that had previously displayed data, and perched on Merlin's old globe. "And I am Archimedes, the highly educated owl. Merlin has been expecting the two of you."

"Indeed, I have been," Merlin's warm voice stated as he entered the room from one of the other doors. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to speak to you sooner Sora, those confounded Gulwings and their mechanical contraptions… Oh, why, this must be Riku. I've heard a great deal about you boy; from His Majesty and Sora, of coarse." Riku tensed a little by that last statement. "His majesty speaks very highly of you, and Sora spoke of you fondly as well." Merlin clarified to alleviate Riku's concern.

"Is The King here?" asked Sora.

"No, he said he had important matters to look into. I have been instructed to work with those impossible Gulwings to keep the barrier between Twilight Town and its duplicate secure. He said we needed both magic and their blundering mechanical know-how to do so. Maleficent has claimed the castle in the in-between world that this town's duplicate connects to. "

"Then we'll go there and finish this," Sora looked from Merlin to Riku.

"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast boy. Use your head. You need to know what your doing before you can finish it." Archimedes spoke in the same annoyed tone he used before; Sora guessed he must always sound like that.

"Come now, Archimedes, He's only a boy. They tend to rush into things, you know." Merlin turned his attention back to the two boys again, "His Majesty has asked that you two go and speak to Yen Sid before you take any actions. I dare say Maleficent isn't the only threat you need to concern yourselves with."

"What do you mean?" Sora furrowed his brows, "Does this have anything to do with Xehanort?"

"Or some transparent figures attacking anyone?" added Riku.

Merlin smiled at them, "It seems you've noticed even more than we had hoped."

"Or things are worse than we had hoped," Archimedes corrected.

Merlin appeared irritated for a moment, but obviously decided to ignore Archimedes' comment. "We have the barrier well protected here, why don't you leave it to us for now and follow His Majesty's advice?"

Sora and Riku turned to each other. Riku spoke first, "It would be nice to have the situation explained for once. Besides, King Mickey usually knows what he's talking about."

Sora nodded in agreement, "And Yen Sid was a big help last time." Sora looked back to Merlin. "Is he still in his tower?"

"Indeed, he is. Remember, you can always come back here if you need any assistance with your magical training."

* * *

Hayner, Pence, and Olette were hanging out in front of the train station when Sora and Riku arrived.

"Hey, how did everything go?"

"Did you have any problems crossing the woods?"

"What did Merlin want to talk to you about?"

"Everything's okay. We did run into some heartless and some other things in the woods, but we took care of 'em. You guys might not want to go in there alone for a while, though. Merlin had a message for us from The King. We have to take that train again." Sora thought for a moment to see if he had answered all of their questions.

"Will you be coming back again?" asked Pence.

"Yeah, of coarse," Sora sighed and his shouldered drooped a little. "It looks like we have another long journey to go on."

Olette smiled at him, "At least you'll be travelling together this time."

Sora smiled in return, "Yeah, your right. Together, no one stands a chance against us."

Riku grinned and raised an eyebrow at Sora, "And most people think _I'm_ the cocky one."

"Hey! What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Hayner, Pence, and Olette laughed.

Hayner regained his composure first, "C'mon, we'll see you guys off."

A few minutes later, the key bearers boarded the train and were off…

After much more cheerful farewells than during Sora's last adventures here.


	6. Stray Memories

Chapter 6: Stray memories.

Sora and Riku sat side by side in the empty passenger cart. Neither reacted when the train appeared to leave the world behind. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Sora removed something from his pocket. He held out the blue crystal that Riku had saved from the duplicate word for him.

Riku tilted his head slightly and smiled as he watched Sora merrily gaze at the sparkling sphere. Sora had done the very same thing several times when they were hanging out by the Paopu tree. He seemed to always carry the thing around in his pocket.

"Hey Riku?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think this would work on my Keyblade if I made a key chain out of it?"

"Have you tried attaching anything that wasn't a key chain or a charm before?"

"No, but I think this is special somehow."

Riku shrugged his shoulders, "Then try it. Worse scenario is that you end up with a normal key chain."

"When we come across one of the Moogle shops, I'll see if they can make it. They made the Ultima key chain; maybe they know a trick to it."

Riku simply nodded in response.

After disembarking at their destination, Sora turned to face the train. Riku turned to look at it over his shoulder, wondering why Sora was watching it. His question was answered as both train and tracks vanished.

He looked at Sora now, "Did that happen before?"

"Y-Yeah," Sora chuckled nervously.

Riku sighed. Sora usually got that look on his face when he had not thought something through, "And...?"

"Well, we never took the train back. We always left from here on the gummi ship…" Sora rubbed the back of his neck.

That explained the look.

"...And we left our gummi ship in Twilight Town. So you're not sure we'll be able to get back."

"Yeah; I didn't think about that part until now."

"Don't worry. We'll get back"

Sora's usual smile returned, "Yeah, you're right. Merlin or The King would've said something if we had to come a certain way."

It occurred to Riku that they also could have failed to mention it because they thought Sora knew. After all, no one had messed with his memories this time around. But then, they should also know Sora by now. Either way, worrying about it right now would not accomplish anything.

Riku turned to the tower, "Why don't we speak with Yen Sid then?"

"Good idea. He's probably waiting for us," Sora faced the tower as well.

They began crossing the yard that lay between them and the tower. Pools of darkness started appearing on the ground as they walked, and soon numerous heartless had sprung up. More appeared through dark portals as the key bearers called their Keyblades to hand and began dispersing the original arrivals.

As the number of surrounding heartless grew, the two friends found their backs pressed together. The startling number of heartless was surrounding them. They combined their energy and summoned thirteen guardian blades that spun around them and destroyed or threw back the advancing enemies. When the blades disappeared Riku threw down a line of dark aura spells, and then he and Sora attacked the remaining heartless. When the last had fallen, they both released their Keyblades and looked at one another. Sora was the first to speak.

"Why are there so many heartless around? Aren't there supposed to be less now?"

"There are less," answered Riku, "but someone is controlling them."

"Maleficent?"

"We've gotten in the way of her plans too many times now."

"So she's sending the heartless after us before we can get in her way again."

"My thoughts exactly."

"What about the other threat Merlin talked about? Any ideas on who that could be?"

"I'm guessing it has something to do with those creatures that came after you. Hopefully Master Yen Sid will be able to tell us something about that."

"He will. He told us about the nobodies and Organization Thirteen last time."

They encountered more heartless as they climbed the many stairs inside the tower. Those at least, were no more in number then Sora had encountered during his previous visitations, and were easily disposed of by the two Key Bearers. Finally, they reached the door to Yen Sid's study.

They entered the room to find Yen Sid sitting behind his desk as he had the first time Sora met him. Riku was surprised when Sora approached the desk and bowed respectfully, however he did not show it. Instead, he followed suite and bowed beside his friend. They rose when Yen Sid motioned his hand for them to do so. Then he gazed at the two boys standing before him.

"Welcome Sora," the wise sorcerer greeted, "And you are Riku, I presume?"

"Yes."

"It seems the task of explaining the situation has once again fallen upon my shoulders. This, I fear, will be your most challenging journey yet. You will face several enemies, but your greatest threat will be found within. Your greatest strength however, can be found beside you."

Sora looked around for a moment, and then looked a little confused. Riku laughed softly and then placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, which brought his friend's attention to himself. Then Sora seemed to understand. Riku removed his hand and Sora looked back at the wizard. "You mean each other?"

Yen Sid slowly nodded and then gestured to a porcelain disk lying on his desk that was decorated with a yin-yang symbol. "If there is not balance, there is chaos. Light and darkness are both needed." He inclined his head to indicate the two boys, "That is why it has come down to two." He gestured a hand toward Sora, "One that has darkness in his heart, but which can scarcely be seen through the radiant light that is engulfing it." Now he gestured to Riku, "The other enshrouded by darkness, but possessing a heart so light at its core that the darkness could never eclipse it." He linked his fingers together and rested his hands in the desk. "They are very different, but still very much the same. They fit together perfectly and compliment each other well, for neither is complete without the other. They are a part of each other. This is why your existences have always resonated with each others'."

"However, there is another meaning as well, for we have a life within a life. A heart of darkness that is trapped by the surrounding light. A heart of light which the darkness is constantly trying to ensnare." Yen Sid shifted his powerful gaze onto Riku alone. "You will learn the meaning of these words all to well in time. Then you shall fully understand your quest and you will know what must be done."

Sora and Riku looked at one another for a moment and then turned their attention back to Yen Sid, who continued to speak. "You shall of coarse recognize these enemies," Yen Sid waved a hand and a few heartless appeared. "As well as these," With another wave of his hand the heartless turned into Nobodies. "You shall also encounter these," The Nobodies disappeared and were replaced by the silvery transparent creatures that the boys had encountered.

"These are stray memories. When a person holds onto a memory too strongly, that memory gains a power of its own. You know that when a particularly strong-hearted individual loses their heart to the darkness, a Nobody is created along with the heartless. When such an individual holds a memory of this calibre, that memory takes a form as well. It becomes a stray memory. There are very few of such creatures in existence, but they are stronger and more precise than the heartless. They are fuelled by a single emotion that was most strongly connected to them by whoever held the memory. These are always one of the strongest emotions and they shall feel nothing else. Normally, they are not such a focused treat, but someone has derived a way in which to control them." With one more wave, the stray memories disappeared.

As Yen Sid seemed to have finished on this topic, Riku chose to interrupt before he could move onto another. "Why are the stray memories after Sora?"

"Are they?"

"Three of them accompanied the heartless in Radiant Garden, but they didn't attack. They used the heartless to wear Sora out, and then tried to take him. We came across two more in Twilight Town. They used the heartless to separate us and then came after him again."

"The stray memories are targeting Sora because that is the will of whomever now controls them. I cannot say what the purposes of these actions are. However, I must warn you not to jump to conclusions, for appearances are not always what they seem."

Sora jumped in now, "Who's controlling them? Is it Maleficent?"

"Maleficent is certainly a great threat now, however, she is not the only one. The sorceress has allies, old and new alike. One of which is particularly powerful and who has a goal that is separate from hers. I do not know what that goal is or how they have clouded themselves from my vision."

Sora's spirits seemed to droop a little. He looked at Riku and then suddenly snapped his focus back on Yen Sid, "What about Xehanort? Riku's been seeing his memories. Does he have something to do with all this?"

"Ah, yes... Xehanort. He plays some part in the plans of your enemies, and they will need him to succeed. This means they must have a plan to bring back his strength. This is why Riku has begun to see these memories: Xehanort's heart is becoming whole again. Indeed, it is Xehanort's heart now and his heartless no longer. In a way, we are fortunate that Xehanort's heartless misjudged Riku when he chose him for a host." Yen Sid looked to Riku once more, "I can think of none other that could contain him as you have. There is balance in this as well, however. As Xehanort strengthens, you shall weaken. He will still need a physical presence, and each body was only meant to contain one heart. It can sustain two briefly, but soon after Xehanort's heart is complete one of you will have to vacate that body."

Sora appeared horror-struck by the time Yen Sid finished speaking. Riku looked expressionless and distant, but he sounded calm when he spoke. "Are any of these problems the important matters that King Mickey left to look into?"

"I believe so. Not only have you both become dear friends to him, but also, if Maleficent and her elusive ally succeed in disposing of you, the worlds will be unprotected against them and the darkness. This cannot be allowed to happen. Your Keyblades will open the paths and your hearts will show you the way. You must trust in your hearts, and in each other."

Sora finally found his voice, "Do you know where The King is now? What about Donald and Goofy?"

"I do not know where my former apprentice is now. His journey shall take him across many worlds, as shall yours. Donald and Goofy, however, are climbing the stairs of this tower as we speak. They arrived in their gummi ships. I am certain they would be willing to take you both back to yours."

* * *

After he and Riku passed the second landing, Sora could hear two familiar voices calling.

"Sora!"

"Sora!"

Then Sora was tackled into a furry, feathery hug.

"Donald! Goofy!" The spiky-haired brunette said as soon as he was released, "It's good to see you guys. Have you heard from The King? When did he leave?"

"It's good to see you see you too, Sora." greeted Goofy. "Hiya Riku. King Mickey left a few weeks ago. He said that Maleficent and Pete were workin' with somebody to get you guys outta the way so they could use Kingdom Hearts to take over the worlds."

"We just talked to Yen Sid," said Sora. "He told us he doesn't know who it is either, but they sound pretty powerful. Like I said last time though, I don't care who it is, with me, Riku, you guys, and The King working together, they don't stand a chance."

"Which is possibly why they're trying to separate us," Riku pointed out.

Donald looked up at him, "Separate you?"

"The stray memories have tried taking Sora twice."

"And Xehanort's heart is becoming whole again inside of Riku."

"What?!"

"What?!"

As the four began walking down the stairs to leave the tower, Sora explained all that had happened from the night the two Key Bearers decided to leave their islands again, to everything that Yen Sid had just told them. Riku spoke up here and there to keep Sora on track or add in some details that Sora forgot to. Then Donald and Goofy told them what they knew of the situation.

After everyone went home following Xemnas' defeat, Maleficent and Pete had claimed the castle in The World That Never Was as their own. Then one or the other would appear in one of the worlds from time to time, making allies and searching for something. Then one day some weeks prior, which was just before Riku started having the strange dreams, Maleficent suddenly disappeared, presumably into her new castle. Then the stray memories started being sighted. King Mickey began to disappear for brief periods of time as well. Then one day he left Disney Castle stating that the worlds and the key bearers were in great danger. Once again, he went in search of answers and instructed his friends to help the key bearers.

"He said to tell you two to stick together this time." Donald held up a finger at Riku and added, "No trying to take care of everything on your own, okay?"

"Alright," Riku agreed. "I'm not letting Sora out of my sight until we find out why the stray memories want him anyway."

"Hey, I'm not the only one who needs to be watched out for. Someone's got to make sure you don't lose your heart… or body since you never actually… you know what I mean."

Goofy smiled at them; "Gee, I guess you guys'll have to look out for each other then."

"And we'll keep an eye on you, too," Donald added.

Sora and Riku stopped and looked at the other two.

Sora smiled at the idea before asking hopefully, "Then, you guys are coming too?"

"Of coarse Sora," said Goofy, "we wouldn't let you face trouble alone."

Donald looked at Sora, clearly irritated, "Yeah, you big palooka."

Riku crossed his arms, "We can take care of ourselves, you know."

"Garsh, we didn't mean it like that Riku, we just figured more help couldn't hurt."

Sora laughed, causing Donald's irritation to grow. "Hey! What's so funny?"

"It's just good to have you guys back. So Riku, what do say we let them come with us?"

Riku had already uncrossed his arms and was now smirking at Sora, "Of coarse they can come. You still can't take a joke can you?"

The indignant expression dissolved off Sora's face as quickly as it appeared when Donald and Goofy laughed this time. Soon he was laughing along with them. After they regained their composure, Goofy held out one of his hands, palm down.

"One for all and all for one."

Donald placed his hand on Goofy's, and then Sora placed his on top. The three of them smiled at Riku, who had stepped back and was watching them with an amused expression on his face.

"C'mon Riku, we're all in it together this time."

With a small sigh, Riku stepped forward and placed his hand on top of Sora's. Then everyone stepped back as Way to Dawn and Oblivion appeared in Riku and Sora's hands. The two friends moved the tips of their blades together, now knowing what to expect. After the path had been illuminated, the four companions left the tower.

Donald and Goofy brought the two boys back to their own ship. Knowing that Sora and Riku already had a gummi, they decided to come in two small gummies, and each flanked one side of the larger ship after taking off.

With added allies as well as concerns, the Key Bearers headed off once again to save the worlds ...and each other.


	7. Under the sea

Chapter 7: Under the sea.

Sora had expected Riku to ask him about the departure coordinates he just punched in. After all, it did leave them in the middle of a deep ocean. Riku stood, glanced at the coordinates, and then looked at the planet floating just ahead of their ship. Instead of questioning Sora, one of those small smiles graced his lips. Sora looked at his best friend suspiciously.

After Riku switched his attention from Atlantica to Sora, the brunette began to speak, "We probably won't find much here, but I figured we should check it out since we were close and the king of this world knew about the Keyblade when I arrived here the first time. Maybe he'll know something about what's going on this time."

"Good thinking. You never know..." That slight smile transformed into a smirk as Riku looked away from Sora. "Besides, you did say that you would come back to say hello. Or should I say 'you _sang_ it'?"

Sora felt the blood rush into his face and knew he was blushing too much to even try hiding it. He decided he might as well come out and ask... "Did you watch me some of the times I was here?"

Riku shifted his eyes onto Sora, "Come on, Sora. You didn't find it odd that there were no heartless here at all?"

"I didn't think about it, I guess." Sora looked out of the cockpit at the planet ahead. "So, there _were_ heartless here? What about Nobodies? Why didn't I see any?"

"There weren't any Nobodies that I know of… Just the heartless. The king of that city you stayed near most of the time kept his boarders well guarded, and I kept them away when you and your friends were further out."

Sora's eyes moved back and forth as if he were scanning his surroundings for an answer to his confusion. "You mean you kept them away from me?" His eyes settled on Riku, "Why? Didn't you think me and my friends could handle them?"

Riku appeared to contemplate his answer before he spoke, "I wanted you to have some time when you didn't have to be the Key Bearer. This was the only world with few enough heartless to accomplish that in." He looked over at Sora and the expression on his friends face made it clear that he would have to explain further. "You had already saved the worlds once, Sora. Then The Organization caught you, and your memories were altered before being taken apart completely. After that, you slept for a year while everyone else forgot about you and went on with their lives. When you finally woke up, you had to save the worlds all over again. So I thought you deserved some time to just be _you_, not the Key Bearer. Besides, I owed you one anyway."

Sora sat in utter shock. He truly had not thought about it all like that. After stammering for a moment as too many thoughts tried to exit his mouth at once, he finally responded. "Everyone…everyone didn't move on and everyone didn't forget. _You_ didn't, neither did The King or Ansem the Wise... And what do you mean _you_ owed _me_? You _never_ would've let anyone think for a second that leaving me behind was even an option. You _never_ would've just let me disappear and stopped looking for me. You _never_ would've locked me into the dark realm. _You_ would've recognized me sooner and _you_ would've found me. Everything would have happened differently if the Keyblade had just stuck with _you_."

When his words were met with dead silence, Sora looked up, vaguely wondering when he had looked down during his little exclamation. Riku looked as if Sora had just ripped his heart out. _Uh-oh. I didn't mean it like that_ "Riku... That came out wrong."

Riku's voice was soft and distant, "I don't think so."

"Well, _I_ do," Sora stubbornly declared.

"Sora, _that's_ why I owe you, and _that_…" Riku exhaled and bowed his head slightly, "is what's been bothering me."

"What? Riku…What are you talking about?"

"I deserve this," Riku indicated his heart and Sora knew he meant Xehanort. "I deserved to be in darkness all that time; and to be alone. I deserved to suffer. I brought it all upon myself... But you never should have gone through any of the things that you did. It should have been me. If I had followed my heart, as you would have, I never would have believed that you had replaced me or forgotten me. You're right in everything that you just said. If I hadn't…" Riku sighed as if he were exhausted. He crossed his arms over his chest and his head bowed down further.

Sora could no longer see any aqua shining through the silver bangs that covered most of his friends face; he realized that Riku had closed his eyes. In addition, he noticed that the other boy's muscles were tight again. Then something that Riku had just said rang clear in his mind. _'I deserved to suffer.'_ "Riku?" Sora raised his eyes to Riku's face.

The mentioned boy relaxed his muscles slightly and raised his head as he opened his eyes to meet Sora's.

"Does Xehanort…hurt?"

Riku blinked before raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"I mean, does it hurt you having him in there?" Sora eyes drifted to Riku's chest for a moment.

Riku seemed hesitant to answer, but when he did, his voice sounded calmer and stronger than it had a moment ago. "Yes. It wasn't much when he was weakened; after I defeated him."

"What about now?" Sora noted that his friend looked away before answering.

"It gets worse as he gets stronger. It's not that bad yet, so don't worry." Riku let his arms fall to his sides and hooked his left thumb into his pocket as he usually did.

"So that's what you meant back in Ansem's study. When you said, '_soon he'd be like he was before'_." Riku nodded, and Sora took a step closer, "How long have you known he was getting stronger?"

"I could feel him as soon as it started. I just didn't know what it meant," Riku was still adverting his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to get involved in something like this again... But when I saw that Key Bearer in Xehanort's memory, the one that made me think of you, I realized you had to be. Are you mad?" Riku finally made eye contact again.

"No, but your wrong you know." Riku looked slightly puzzled. "You don't deserve _that_," Sora looked pointedly at Riku's chest. "You didn't deserve any of it." Sora stared his friend straight in the eye and firmly added, "And you'll never convince me otherwise."

Riku released a breath that neither had realized he was holding. Then he smirked at Sora again, "That part; I'm beginning to believe."

Suddenly both boys were torn from their thoughts as Donald's voice sounded through the ships comm., "Hey! What's going on? Aren't we landing?"

Sora and Riku both laughed softly at the impatience in his voice.

Riku looked at the planet floating ahead, then back to Sora. "How about we agree to disagree for now and get back to saving the world?"

Sora smiled, "Okay." He found he did feel a lot better, although he still felt apprehensive about Xehanort and Riku.

* * *

The odd but now somewhat familiar sensation that swept over their bodies reminded the four heroes that their forms were changing as they disembarked. Then they were in the warm calm ocean. Goofy slowly swam in circles to get a handle on his new body. Donald tried taking off straight away and ended up getting tangled in some seaweed. Sora stifled a giggle and decided to try Goofy's approach.

He began swimming forward slowly but steadily and soon found the motion as familiar as walking in his true form. Then he remembered something and turned his head to look over his shoulder as he swam, "Riku?"

He froze as something very soft grazed his underside, and for a brief moment afterwards, something silky and silver clouded the water around his face. He realized that Riku had just swum beneath him.

As Riku cut in front of Sora, he twisted himself around so that he was now swimming with his back facing downward. He arched himself enough that he could face Sora while he swam, "Hmm?"

Riku stopped moving when he realized that Sora had done so, and they both straightened into an upright position. Sora still had his usual ...or unusual... spiky hair and the dolphin-like tail he normally donned while in this form. Riku's hair floated and swayed around him and he had a more fish-like tail that was the same aquamarine colour as his eyes with hints of silver here and there. He looked like the merpeople that Sora had encountered previously.

Sora also noticed the twin scars that partially encircled Riku's torso. Those were clearly the remnants of their relatively recent dual with Xemnas. During the entire ordeal immediately following, it had not occurred to Sora to use healing magic on his friend. He still had not expected Riku to scar like that. Sora was brought out of his memoirs by the sound of his name.

His head shot up, "What?"

Riku locked his eyes with Sora and spoke slowly, as if he were coaxing him out of a stupor, "Yes: _what_?"

Sora realized he had been about to ask Riku something before his thoughts had drifted. "I was gonna ask if you remembered how to swim like this or if you wanted me to show you how."

"Oh," Riku inspected his own lower half now. "I remember. Actually, this fin is easier to manoeuvre than the one I had last time, but thanks anyway."

Riku twisted back around as he and Sora continued swimming. Not long ago, Sora would have sworn that Riku was just showing off. He knew better now... Riku always had to push himself. It just had happened that the two of them pushed each other for so long. Their former competitiveness had grown out of that, familiarity, and a little jealousy. Sora didn't think it had ever really mattered to Riku if he was better then everyone else; he just had to know he was doing the best that he could, and while that usually meant he _was_ better then everybody else, it was something _he_ never seemed satisfied of.

Once again, Sora's thoughts caught up with the conversation, "Wait…" The other obliged. Sora looked at Riku again, with confusion written in his features. "You had a different fin last time? I have the same one every time, so do Donald and Goofy."

Riku appeared to ponder this for a second, and then he looked down at his own body, and finally back at Sora. "It's probably because I was in the form of Xehanort's heartless the last time." This answer seemed enough for him.

"Oh, yeah," Sora chuckled. "I forgot about that. You're lucky we didn't spot you; I doubt you had your cloak on then. We might've…" Sora trailed off and suddenly, he looked rather guilty.

"Attacked me?" Riku finished for him.

"Yeah... Sorry about that."

"About what?" Riku's expression was blank, and then Sora's meaning seemed to dawn on him. "Oh, that?" He waved a hand dismissively, "Don't worry about it." They began to swim again, "I was more careful here anyway. There is a reason why you only saw me a couple of times throughout that journey."

"I know, I- Hey; what kind of tail did you have then?"

Riku laughed, _Same old Sora..._ "It looked like a shark's."

Sora laughed at the mental image he was conjuring. Soon Donald and Goofy joined them and they all began talking and laughing about their previous stays on this world.

They encountered the first heartless as they headed toward the city of Atlantica. There were only a handful of heartless, and this time they were only accompanied by one stray memory. The key bearers figured there was a lack of them with the capability of under water travel and battling skills. It looked even more ghostly than the ones they had encountered on land. As before, the stray memory did not seem interested in joining the skirmish at first. However, Riku and Sora were not waiting for an ambush this time. While Donald and Goofy fought back the heartless, they moved in to attack the phantom-like foe.

Neither of the two boys were strangers to under water battles, nor was their opponent and it showed. All three moved fluidly and tactfully as they fought. Eventually the boys made the unspoken decision to split up and Riku manoeuvred himself behind the enemy. With correlating attacks from the front and back, they were able to quickly dispatch the foe. Shortly after, the four friends finished off the remaining heartless and continued on their way.

Their stay in the under water city was brief. Sora, Donald, and Goofy said hello to Flounder and Sebastian, introduced Riku, and then they all headed to the throne room. King Triton was not at all surprised to meet another Key Bearer, however he did not have any new information on their enemies, nor did he know anything about the ancient Keyblade War. He did have his kingdom well taken care of though. Therefore, the four heroes decided to leave, but Sora wanted to show Riku a couple of things first.

After exploring the sunken ship and fighting a few more heartless, as well as a giant shark, Sora wanted to show Riku the hidden grotto that Ariel had showed him, Donald, and Goofy on their first visit to this world. They spent several minutes looking at the assortment of items that were scattered around. Sora, Donald, and Goofy told Riku all the funny names that Ariel had called them. Then Sora brought Riku over to where the keyhole was hidden, and showed him the trident shaped carving in the wall. That is when the Keyblades suddenly appeared in their hands. Without a thought, the two friends brought the blades' tips together. A strange current rippled through the grotto and the floor gleamed with the familiar interlocking symbols of a crown and a heart. A light beamed out from where the blades touched, telling them it was time to move on.

* * *

Back in the gummi ships, they noticed a new path heading out beyond Atlantica. After following it, they reached a fork.

Goofy's voice rang through the ships comm., "Look, there's two worlds. I don't think we've been to either of 'em."

Now Donald's voice came on, "That one doesn't look like a world. It looks more like one of those black holes."

Sora inspected the world at the left of the fork, "It does look more like a black hole, but not quite like the other ones we've seen."

"Which one do you guys wanna go to first?" asked Goofy.

"Aw, I don't like the looks of either!" Donald broadcasted.

Sora looked at the speaker in annoyance. "We should still check them out. The Keyblades opened this path, maybe we'll find something on one of them."

"Since we don't know where that leads, if it is a black hole, I think we should check out the other one first," Riku stated.

Sora leaned forward and spoke into the microphone so Donald and Goofy could hear him, "Let's go to the planet, okay?"

"Oh, Okay," Donald responded.

"Alright, full speed ahead," Goofy sounded positive as always.

Riku began flying the ship toward the new world. He had taken to flying much easier than Sora had.

Sora glanced at his friend, and then smiled as he returned his attention to the world ahead. "Maybe we'll even find something on both of them. The Keyblades did open a path that led to both."

Riku nodded, "True; or they could both need our help. Either way, it's probably best if we look into both."

...And so they headed toward the new world.


	8. The lost empire

Chapter 8: The Lost Empire.

The odd quartet found themselves in a vast and dreary cavern. A faint light cast over the damp stone & earth, yet there was no sun or sky to be seen.

"Where are we?" Donald asked no one in particular.

"Garsh, we haven't been to this world before," noted Goofy.

Sora nodded and looked up at the roof of the cave, "I wonder what this place is."

"It's called Atlantis," Riku stated.

Sora turned to face Riku, "You've been here before? When?"

"During our last journey. I did a lot more than just stalk you, you know." Riku wore a small grin as he returned to checking out their surroundings.

Sora smiled and began looking around again, too. "I know; I just hadn't realized you went to worlds I never saw."

"Well, you've seen worlds that I haven't," Riku pointed out.

Sora blinked and turned his attention back to Riku, "Really? Which ones?"

Riku turned his eyes to Sora. "Again, I didn't follow you _all_ the time." He looked back out at the cavern as he continued. "I never went to Disney Castle, or any of the worlds around Agrabah." He glanced back at Sora, "Or that one you mentioned with the big castle."

Sora smiled again. When this was all over, if they did not end up stopping there, Sora would have to take Riku to The Pride Lands …and all of the other worlds he mentioned. "So are we in a cave then?"

Riku nodded, "Nearly ten thousand years ago, something happened here. This kingdom was forced underground; beneath the ocean."

"We're under the ocean?" asked Sora, as he started looking around again. "Does anyone still live in this kingdom?"

"The king of Atlantis decided secrecy was best, so the people stay hidden. They don't handle visitors very well either," Riku informed the others.

"I don't like the sound of that," Donald muttered.

"Why is the king hidin'?" asked Goofy.

"Not why: _What_." corrected Riku.

Sora cut in, "What? You mean he's hiding something. Do you know what it is?"

Riku appeared pensive for a moment, "It's the heart of the kingdom, which also holds the lock to the heart of this world. He's hiding it to protect it... And I'm guessing it's why _he's_ here."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy turned in the direction that Riku indicated just in time to see Pete disappear into a small cavern below the plateau they were on. "_Pete!_" All three exclaimed simultaneously.

"Let's go see what he's up to," Sora said as they all approached the edge of the plateau. They began their steep decent. Shortly before they would have reached the bottom, a distant explosion rocked the entire cave and they were thrown from their perch.

* * *

Sora opened his eyes and stood, and then he grabbed his right arm, which had a deep cut halfway between his elbow and shoulder. He felt an arm slide across his back and a hand held onto his left shoulder as Riku appeared beside him on his right. Riku started to raise his right hand, obviously about to cast a healing spell, but he slowly lowered it without doing anything and was staring into the shadows ahead of them.

Sora noticed a shuffling sound as he followed Riku's eye line. Then a few people slowly came into the light. They were holding spears at the ready and stood hidden behind large shields that looked like huge masks. Riku still held onto Sora with his left arm, and had his right hand risen in front of his friend, ready to call his weapon or produce a dark shield. Sora still held his right arm, but raised that hand slightly in case he too needed to call his Keyblade.

The head figure stepped forward. The shield moved aside to reveal a woman with dark skin and white hair. She eyed the boys with concern for a moment before raising a glowing crystal that she wore around her neck to Sora's wound. Before Sora could attempt to move away, Riku gently squeeze the shoulder he was holding, and Sora knew his friend was telling him to keep still. Then, he understood why. The strange woman held her hand over the wound for a few seconds after bringing the crystal to it, Sora felt the injury grow cold and then all pain was gone. The woman removed her hand and the wound was completely healed.

Riku glanced at Sora's healed arm, then at Sora's face before releasing his friend and turning to the odd woman, "Thank you, Kidagakash."

Both Sora and the woman looked at Riku in surprise. Riku looked thoughtful for a moment before raising his hands and looking at them as he said, "Oh, I forgot..." He lowered his hands and turned his attention back to the woman. "It's me: Riku -or Ansem-, as you would remember." He held out one hand, palm down, and summoned Way to the Dawn. He let it vanish before any of the surrounding locals could consider it a threat.

The strange woman appeared mildly shocked as she looked Riku over, "The cloak hid your face, but your physique is quite different than the last time you were here. Even your voice and your height are different. Your weapon has altered slightly as well."

Riku looked contemplative for a few seconds before he answered. "I had to take on a different form for awhile. My weapon altered when I changed back."

The woman considered this for a moment and then smiled at him, "Oh, so this is your true form. Had we known we were dealing with someone barley more than a child, we would not have been so stern with you." She turned her attention to Sora now, as Riku appeared to ignore the comment, "And is this the friend you were helping?"

"Yes, his name is Sora. He's also a Keyblade wielder."

The woman smiled at Sora, "Welcome Sora. I'm Kidagakash."

Sora smiled in return, "Hi, Kidagukish, err, Kidakakish, uhh..." He nervously took a quick glance at Riku, who was smirking at him.

Kidagakash chuckled lightly, "You may call me Kida, if it suits you better."

Sora's smile returned, "Kida... Great, I can say that one."

Goofy's voice reached the small group of people, "Sora! Riku!"

"Sora!" Donald called as the two ran toward them.

"Donald, Goofy, we're okay," Sora called to them as they approached. "This is Kida. She and Riku met when he was here before." He turned to face Kida again, "These are my other friends. This is Donald," Donald stopped beside Sora as he was introduced. Goofy tripped over a rock on his way over and stood up chuckling and rubbing his head, "And he's Goofy."

"Oh, you mean he is funny." Kida looked from Goofy to Sora.

"Huh? Oh, that's his name."

"His name is Funny?"

"No, he's not funny. Well, he _is_, but that's not his name."

"You're confusing me."

Riku, Donald, and Goofy laughed quietly at this exchange between Sora and Kida. Then Goofy offered her a hand, "Nice to meet you, Kida. The name's Goofy." They both smiled and shook hands.

Riku looked serious again as addressed Kida, "We aren't the only ones here. Have you seen anyone suspicious around?"

"I don't know about suspicious, but there is a group of people heading toward our city in strange vehicles."

"Any heartless?" asked Riku.

"Or nobodies?" Sora added, figuring if Kida knew what heartless were, and if Riku was here during the last journey, then she probably knew what nobodies were.

She shook her head, "No; Just humans."

"Well, we just saw someone who's got to be up to no good," Sora stated.

"...And if he's here then more heartless are coming," Donald chimed in.

Kida turned from Donald to Riku, who nodded. Then she said something in a strange language to the others behind her and returned her attention to the key bearers and their friends. "If the heartless are returning, then you must speak to my father. Come with us."

* * *

They followed the group of Atlanteans through the caves and finally reached a beautiful city hidden within and lit by crystals like the one Kida wore.

"Welcome to Atlantis," said Kida.

"Whoa..." Sora, Donald, and Goofy started in disbelief at the ancient kingdom.

Kida smiled at them and then led them to two large doors, "Wait here a moment, please. The king will want to see you."

After she left, Sora looked a little confused, "What about her dad? Weren't we going to talk to him?"

"The king probably knows more," Donald responded.

"We can talk to her father afterwards," added Goofy.

"The king _is_ her father," Riku informed them.

All three looked at him, "Ooohh…"

Kida returned and led them to the king. He was ancient looking, with the same dark skin and light hair as all the other Atlanteans. His eyes were completely white as he stared without seeing. Yet somehow, he lowered his head and turned his face to Riku.

"So you have returned, Ansem." He spoke harshly as he addressed Riku, who flinched lightly at the sound of that name.

Sora stepped forward and squeezed his hands into fists, "That's _Riku_! An-"

Riku cut off anything else Sora might have intended to say by clapping a hand over Sora's mouth. However, he wore a fond expression as he shook his head at the other boy. Then he released Sora, who was now much calmer, as the king spoke again.

"Alright, _Riku_, you and I must speak... Alone. Kida; continue your watch of the other outsiders. The rest of you; wait outside."

"Sora stays." Riku spoke before anyone else could respond. In fact, the king had just barely finished speaking. The king looked angered, but Riku continued, "If he goes, so do I. But you are right about one thing; we must speak." Riku met the king's sightless gaze, and for a moment the two appeared to be staring at each other as if battling wills. Sora realized more was going on than he was aware of, so he decided to keep quiet.

Finally, the king sighed, "Fine. He may stay."

"Why don't we wait for you guys outside?" Goofy asked as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Everyone else followed the king's orders.

Sora turned to the king, but before he could argue, and his expression showed that he meant to, Riku touched his shoulder and spoke. "We don't have a lot of time to argue."

The king's facial features seemed to soften a little. He addressed Riku again, "Are you…injured? You sound as if-"

"I'm fine." Riku cut him off, "But we think the Heart of Atlantis is in danger."

Sora jumped in, still looking annoyed. "We saw a guy named Pete here earlier, before we met Kida. If he's here then heartless are here too." He did not know anything about this 'Heart of Atlantis', but Pete meant heartless, which meant they were needed, and Riku could fill him in on the rest later. In the meantime, _something_ was happening. He did not know what, but he could feel it. And whatever it was, he did not like it.

"We aren't entirely sure of his plans, but he's working under a witch named Maleficent. She wants to rule the heart of all worlds," Riku added calmly. Sora could tell it was a forced calm, though he doubted anyone else could.

"...And she would use the Heart of Atlantis to accomplish this. I see..." The king stated. "Then we are fortunate that the Keyblade has brought you here. What of the other outsiders? Do you know if their coming is related?"

Riku answered first, "Brought _us_ here... And we don't know anything about them, but I'd be careful."

"I don't think you need to tell _him_ that," Sora quietly addressed Riku.

"The Heart shall remain hidden, and the others will be turned away or killed," The king stated. "All of you may stay for the time being, until we know of our enemies plans."

A man approached the king and said something in the same language that Kida used earlier, which the heroes now assumed to be Atlantean. The king responded and the man left. Then, Kida entered, followed by several others. They were obviously not Atlanteans. A non-threatening man wearing glasses kneeled respectfully as Kida did, and began to take notes as she and her father appeared to be arguing in their native language. Another man, older and muscular, cut in. He ignored the first man's protest as he thanked the king for welcoming them into his city. The king wasted no time in correcting the man and telling him that he and his party had to leave the city immediately. After a brief but polite debate, the king agreed to let them stay for one nights rest.

Everyone except the king, his guards, and Kida left the throne room. Outside, the other party convinced the bespectacled man to wait and speak to Kida. Then the old man, and a rough looking blonde woman, left and those remaining finally noticed Riku, Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

A large man with a shaved head addressed them kindly, "Hey there; you boys don't exactly look like you belong here."

"Well neither do you, Gramps," Sora answered irritably.

The bald man still spoke kindly, "True enough. My name's Sweet, Joshua Sweet. I'm the medical officer of our little entourage."

"...And what is your little entourage doing here?" Sora asked, now more interested than irritated.

Riku held back a chuckle. _Same old Sora. He always has worn his heart on his sleeve._

"Well I guess you could call us explorers. We've been trying to find this place for years. It's been lost for centuries. Never thought there'd still be people livin' here. Doubt any of them would be open to examinations after that greeting though. So what brings you here?"

"None of your business!" Donald sounded just as irritated as Sora had before.

"We're just visiting. Riku knows some people here," Sora answered casually.

"Riku?" Sweet raised an eyebrow at Sora questioningly, as did Riku, only much more subtly. Sora had not technically lied, but he meant for his words to be misleading, something Riku had never seen him do so well before.

"He's Riku. I'm Sora. And this is Donald and Goofy," Sora indicated each as he introduced them all.

"Nice to meet you. As I said before, my name's Sweet. This is Audrey Ramirez, or chief mechanic"-

He pointed to a girl around Sora and Riku's age, with dark hair, eyes, and skin. She tilted her head and waved, "Hey."

"Vincenzo Santorini, our demolitions expert"-

A tall man holding a few sticks of dynamite looked at them without enthusiasm; "How you doing? Call me Vinny"

"Gaeton Moliere, excavations and geology"-

A short, round man wearing strange goggles looked up, "Bonjure."

"Mrs. Packard, our communications officer"-

An old woman flicked a cigarette and said nothing.

"...And our cook, Cookie."

A thin and somewhat wild looking old man stepped forward. "Howdy, you boys look like you could stand to gain a few pounds. You been getting in your basic fours? Beans, bacon, whiskey, and lard?" He counted off on his fingers.

"Uh, we're good." Sora quickly turned back to Sweet, "Who were those other guys? The one's that left a minute ago?"

"Oh, them? The skinny guy with the glasses is Milo Thatch. He's our translator. The surly looking fellow is Commander Rourke, and the blonde is Lieutenant Helga Sinclare."

Sora felt something lightly press the side of his shoe twice, and recognized it as a signal he and Riku used when they were younger and needed to obtain the other's attention without notice. He subtly adjusted his weight so that he could see Riku in the corner of his eye. The other's facial expressions, while normally unreadable or just too abstruse for people to pick up on, were generally notable to Sora. Right now, the look that only Sora could possibly read said _'we need to go'_.

Sora smiled at the group of people, "Well, it's nice to meet all of you, but we've got to go. I'm sure we'll see you around later." He waved a hand and began to turn. He looked at Riku, "Uh…"

Riku looked at him, "Oh, right. This way." He too, gave the group of explorers a small wave and began leading Sora, Donald, and Goofy away. When they were out of earshot, he spoke again, "Something's not right. Let's find out what the commander and the lieutenant are up to."

Seeing no reason to question his friend's instinct, Sora agreed, as did Donald and Goofy. They all moved unseen in the direction that Rourke and Helga had headed.


	9. Into the Heart

Chapter 9: Into the heart.

Sora, Riku, Goofy, and Donald followed Rourke and Helga to a spot just outside the city where a handful of soldiers waited. Helga remained with them and began giving orders, while Rourke continued down to another cavern. Donald and Goofy stayed near the camp to see what the soldiers were doing, while Riku and Sora followed Rourke.

After heading a couple of miles into the cavern, Rourke stopped and the Key Bearers hid in the shadows behind a large boulder. They heard the distinct voice of Pete, who was talking to Rourke, "About time you showed up. I thought we were gonna have to go back on our deal."

"We don't have a deal _yet_," Rourke answered. "Our other interested party has come up with a pretty intriguing offer."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure old Maleficent will do you one better."

The boys heard the shuffling of paper and then Rourke spoke again. "Well now, that _is_ better. Congratulations, you have a deal. As long as she follows through on her end."

"Don't you worry about that. What you need to watch out for is a couple of brats wielding Keyblades."

"Key-_blades_?" asked Rourke.

"Look, if you see a couple of kids with weird swords, watch out. They're more dangerous then they look."

"A powerful lady like Maleficent is worried about a couple of kids? Well, you'll have that heart by tomorrow. Just keep the heartless out of my way."

With that, the meeting seemed to be over. The boys ducked further into the shadows as Rourke passed. Sora and Riku looked at each other questioningly. There was no need to speak. They both knew they had to decide weather to go straight after Rourke, or stay and deal with Pete first. Sora slowly inclined his head, indicating his choice was Pete. Riku slowly tilted his face down slightly and then moved it back, indicating his agreement.

Sora quickly moved around the rock and into view, "Hey, Pete!"

Pete turned around, "You!" He took a couple steps toward Sora, but stopped when Riku jumped over both the boulder and Pete, landing softly behind him.

Pete looked from one to the other as they summoned their Keyblades. "What are you pip-squeaks doing here?"

Sora pointed his Keyblade at Pete, "We wanted to ask you the same thing."

"Well don't waste your breath, 'cause I'm not telling you anything. Heartless!" At Pete's command, heartless started appearing.

Fortunately for the Key Bearers, he chose quantity over quality... Or perhaps he was still too fearful of the heartless to call in anything too strong. In either case, Sora and Riku began to dispatch the heartless with out much concern. Then suddenly, a familiar haunting voice echoed throughout the cavern; "You imbecile. Can you be trusted to handle nothing on your own?"

A dark pathway opened and several much more powerful heartless came through, along with three stray memories. Sora and Riku instinctively moved so that they were standing beside each other. The heartless moved in, but the stray memories stayed behind. These enemies were powerful, but they had given away their strategy.

Sora and Riku combined their energy and summoned thirteen guardian blades that spun around them as they fought with their Keyblades. After the magical blades vanished, Sora felt a familiar sensation and raised his hands; both he and Riku threw out dark aura spells at the enemies that remained. Sora still had not figured out how it was that he could control one of Riku's spells sometimes. He assumed it was his ascetic friend that allowed for this, since he could also loan out a Keyblade temporarily (He had done this once with Kairi and a few times with Sora, when they were sparing), and Sora did not know how that was possible either.

Sora returned his attention to the fight when he noticed Riku cut in front of him. The stray memories had recovered and were moving in. The Key Bearers threw nearly all of their remaining energy into another unique joined attack that was still a mystery to each of them. They had dubbed it 'All's end', because it seemed to end any heartless or nobodies that were caught up in it. Both Keyblades rose high into the air; Sora's created a golden sphere, Riku's a silver one; the stray memories were pulled back and forth by an invisible force where the spheres overlapped. Finally, everything disappeared behind a blinding light. Then the stray memories faded away and the Keyblades returned to their masters.

Pete began running out of the cavern. Sora felt a little weary from the fight, but it had never taken much to out manoeuvre Pete, and Riku usually regained his stamina faster then Sora did. Therefore, the brunette decided to go after Pete. As expected, he heard Riku start running after him. However, shortly afterwards he heard his friend's footsteps stop and a scrape that meant a quick turn-around. When Sora turned as well, he stopped in his tracks.

Riku had indeed turned around, and was facing someone; a man in heavy ornate armour, the kind Riku had described from the memories of Xehanort. The man had a similar look to the stray memories, but he was not as transparent. His face was hidden behind his helm, but he had far more detail to him than any of the stray memories Sora had seen.

Riku recognized the figure before him. He had seen Xehanort cut him down in a dream that was more than a dream.

_**Akane.**_

Riku did not blink or breathe for a moment. That was not _his_ thought, and he recognized that voice. It was Xehanort; speaking in his head._ No, not in my head; in my heart._

Then Akane spoke, "So the witch was right. He is returning. Be warned, boy... If you can not contain him, then I shall destroy you both."

To his surprise, Riku felt more relieved than anything else. He did not intend to fail, but he had to acknowledge it as a possibility. Sora had not hesitated to fight 'Ansem' when he possessed Riku, but he had help, and he did not completely understand what was going on. He still didn't, and all who did were making sure it stayed that way. Even if he faced Xehanort, could Sora win? ...And if he did, how would he feel after he did understand? These questions bothered Riku even more than the thought of what would happen to him if he failed. At least now there was another option -another hope. Sora might not have to be the one to do it.

_**Interesting... It seems I have allies…of several sorts.**_

Sora's confusion grew as Riku respectfully bowed his head to the figure, then the figure returned the gesture and vanished. Sora turned his attention to Riku, "What was that? Do you know him?"

Riku still had not turned around. "No, but his name is Akane. He was in some of Xehanort's memories. He died in the Keyblade War."

"What is he then? A stray memory, a ghost, or what?" Sora glanced back at where the figure had stood, then returned his attention to his friend's back.

Riku turned, "I don't know. I think he's a stray memory, only more powerful than the others."

Sora nodded, "Like the Organization was compared to the other Nobodies."

"Exactly."

"What should we do?"

"We have to finish what we came here for. They can't be allowed to take the Heart of Atlantis."

Sora drew a blank a first, and then he remembered what Riku was talking about. He got the feeling once again that more was going on than he was aware of, but Riku was right; they had to stop Rourke and the others from getting whatever this 'heart' was, and selling it to Pete and Maleficent. "Alright, but you're not telling me something. I'll ask you about it later."

Riku wore a slight smile at those words. He knew Sora was not stupid. Naïve, yes, and perhaps not the most observant, but he had never been stupid. It had only been a matter of time before he figured out that Riku knew more about the situation than he was letting on. "Until later then."

Sora nodded and smiled again, "Good. Now let's go stop the bad guys."

So am I.

As Sora and Riku walked back to where they had left Donald and Goofy, their strength and stamina returned, and then Riku was able to over power Xehanort enough to prevent him from continuing this new torment.

* * *

They knew something was wrong before they ever reached the palace. Donald and Goofy said that Helga and the soldiers had headed back to the city with Rourke, soon after he arrived from his meeting with Pete. Then, they could not find Sweet, Vinny, or any of the other members of that party. When they finally reached the palace, they saw that the doors had been blown open.

Upon entering, they had no choice but to stop and lower their weapons. Rourke and his party had captured Kida and Milo, and were interrogating the king. Or at least Rourke was trying to, but the king was keeping his secret. At one point, Rourke struck the king in the abdomen. Sweet did not seem to like this, nor did Riku, who took a step toward him before a few guns were turned on him. He did not seem to pay much attention to them though, as the king said something to him in Atlantean. Milo looked at Riku with interest, as did Sora. Riku gave no obvious sign that he understood, but the way that he stopped and watched as the king spoke was suspicious.

...And Rourke noticed as well, "Well, it seems the king might not be the only one who knows this little secret. All right, one of you had better tell me where the crystal chamber is; you have until the count of ten. One…" Rourke raised his pistol. "Two…"

Sora looked at Riku as he heard the gun cock. Would it be better to tell them and then try to stop them afterwards, or to risk the king and Riku being killed right then and there? Riku was staring at the king. It seemed to Sora that he was determinedly _not_ looking at Sora.

"Three…nine…" Suddenly Rourke stopped and seemed to change his focus to a small pool of water in the centre of the room. He held up a piece of paper that looked like it had been torn out of an old book. "Well, I'll be... '_The entrance to the chamber lies in the eyes of the king._' C'mon boys we've got it." He crossed the room. When he stepped into the pool, a platform hidden by the water, started to lower itself into a hidden chamber located below. Helga stepped on and pulled Kida with her, and Rourke pulled Milo on as well.

Sweet examined the king and moved him onto his chaise. The others that had already met Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy were holding their weapons away from the four friends, but still ready to turn and open fire. The other mercenaries, who had waited outside the city, held their guns pointed straight at the four heroes. The Atlantean guards stood beside their injured king.

Sora moved closer to Riku and whispered to him, "Is 'the crystal' and 'the Heart of Atlantis' the same thing?"

Riku's whisper could barley be heard by Sora, let alone any of the 'guards'. "Yes, but it's more than just a crystal. It's made from the hearts of the city's past rulers. They merge with it when they die. It's alive, and it's what keeping all of them alive."

"So, if they take it away, all of the people here will die? _And_ Maleficent will take control of its power? Can your dark shield stop their type of weapons?"

"It should, but it only protects from one direction and it'll shatter before they've all finished firing."

"Good point. Let's wait, they have to lower their weapons at some point right?"

One of the mercenaries moved closer to them, so Riku did not answer. Shortly afterwards, Rourke and the others returned; only something was very wrong with Kida. She looked like she was made out of crystal herself.

Everyone moved out of the palace to where the mercenaries had their trucks parked. With several guns still pointed at them and the crowd of Atlanteans that had gathered, Riku and Sora had no opportunity to attack without risking the life of one the locals or their friends. After Audrey, Mole, and several of the other mercenaries built a large holding tank around Kida and loaded it onto a truck, they all prepared to leave. However, Milo, who had apparently befriended them when he did not know of their intentions, convinced Audrey, Vinny, Mole, Mrs. Packard, and Cookie that what they were doing was wrong. They stayed behind as Rourke, Helga and the others left with their 'prize'.

Sora thought now might be a good time to act, but Riku turned with Milo and Sora followed as they returned to the throne room, where Sweet had stayed to tend to the king. There, Sweet informed them that the king had internal bleeding from the blow Rourke had struck, and would not survive.

Milo held up the crystal that the king wore, "Wait, that's it. These crystals have healing abilities, I've seen them work."

"No. It is too late for that…" The king weakly grasped Milo's hand.

"We know some healing spells-" Sora began to offer, but cut short when Riku placed a hand on his shoulder.

The king turned his head and gave Riku a brief nod, then continued to speak, "Kida has been chosen by the crystal…"

Milo cut him off, "You mean it's alive? What is it?"

The king explained to Milo what Riku had already told Sora, then continued to explain Kida's situation; "In my ignorance I tried to use it as a weapon of power, that is how my kingdom came to be in it's current state. In times of trouble, the crystal will choose a host of royal blood to protect itself. I hid it so no other could misuse it, as I had; and to protect my daughter from suffering the same fate as her mother."

"What's going to happen to Kida?" Milo sounded more concerned now.

"If she remains bonded to the crystal for too long, she will be lost to it. In time, I would have told her the truth, and my burden would become hers. Instead, it has fallen to you. Please, return the crystal. Save the city, save my daughter..." With those words, the king's hand fell and he was gone.

During the king's final explanation, Riku had moved forward and kneeled beside him. Now he and Milo looked at one another, and then each stood.

Riku turned to Sora, who saved him the trouble of speaking. "We're going after Rourke, right?" Sora raised a fist as he spoke.

Riku smiled at his friend briefly, and raised his own fist. Then he and Sora knocked their wrist together and turned to the door in unison. They could hear Sweet, talking to Milo as they left. Donald and Goofy had waited on the steps in front of the building, Sora and Riku stopped to explain to them. When they had finished, Milo and Sweet were exiting the throne room.

"I'm going after Rourke," Milo stated as he walked past everyone.

"We're going with you," said Sora, as the four heroes joined him.

"That's crazy," Audrey stated.

"I didn't say it was the smart thing to do, but it is the right thing," responded Milo.

Audrey released an audible sigh, and then addressed the others, "We'd better make sure he doesn't hurt himself." With that, all of the outsiders and several Atlanteans followed the heroes.

Milo stopped by a large stone and metal sculpture that looked like a giant fish. He placed the crystal that the king had given him in an opening on top of the large statue, and after a few quick movements, the fish elevated above them and hovered in the air.

"How is this done?" An Atlantean man asked him.

"It's simple. Use your crystals. Half a turn right, quarter turn left; keep your hand on the pad. Kida showed me." Milo demonstrated on another statue that resembled a hammerhead shark.

The Atlanteans started up some extras for the outsiders and soon a dozen hovercrafts were in the air and headed after the stolen princess and crystal.


	10. Diorama

Chapter 10: Diorama.

Rourke and his crew had already attached the holding tank to what looked like a large hot air balloon to Sora.

"C'mon maybe we can catch him by surprise," Sora shouted to the others.

"Rourke is never surprised and he's got a lot of guns," Audrey called back.

This statement turned out to be quite true. The small invading party of heroes had to break apart to dodge. Sora saw a couple of Atlanteans go down from where he was seated behind Riku. Sora shot out fire spells, while Riku use dark aura spells against the mercenaries. Suddenly, they were struck by another hovercraft as it fell. Sora slammed into Riku, who somehow fired a shot of energy from the craft they were riding. Riku touched parts of the glowing control pad, and fired again. The others saw this and soon the tide had turned. On the ground anyway, Rourke was on the raising balloon and still laying out heavy fire at their opposition.

Milo flew beside them and called out, "Sora, Riku, You and me are going to be decoys. Sweet, Audrey, you cut Kida loose."

Riku and Sora swooped around the balloon and Riku shot Rourke's gun out of his hand. Then they continued to fire, with Riku using the craft's weapon and Sora using the spells he learned from Merlin, until they saw Milo jump off his hovercraft and hang onto the balloon as his deserted craft crashed into a smaller support balloon that was attached to it.

Sora watched in confusion as Milo appeared to be taking on Rourke, "What's he doing?"

"Audrey and Sweet had to back off; there was too much fire," Riku answered. "We have to take out the other support."

Riku brought their craft in a close sweep past the mentioned support balloon. Both summoned their Keyblades and struck as they passed. The entire balloon began to descend back down toward the ground. Sora jumped off the hovercraft and landed on the balloons platform. Rourke was attacking Milo with an axe and was about to strike when Sora blocked with his Keyblade. Rourke swung the axe again, this time at Sora.

"Sora!" Riku called as he hit Rourke with a dark aura spell.

Then Sora moved in while Rourke was distracted and knocked him off the platform. Rourke caught the holding tank and pulled himself onto it. Milo quickly grabbed a piece of glass that had broken off the holding tank during the battle and cut Rourke's arm. The glass had been glowing like the crystals, probably because of what the holding tank had contained. This saturation seemed to affect Rourke as well. His entire body seemed to turn into crystal. Unlike Kida's transformation, this one looked harsh and he did not appear to be alive. Riku hit him with another spell and he fell from the tank.

Milo landed with the tank and he along with his friends began to attach it to one of the hovercrafts.

"Sora," Riku pulled up beside Sora, who was still in the air on the platform.

Sora climbed onto the craft, behind Riku. He noticed that Riku was turning around, going the opposite direction of the city. Then he saw why. Rourke was still alive, though he still looked like a crystal statue. Sora and Riku landed and jumped off the craft. They hit the ground running and cut off Rourke before he could reach the rescue party.

Rourke shot a beam of energy, similar to the ones the hovercrafts fired, at the key bearers. Riku cast dark shield and the spell absorbed the energy beam as it shattered. Then the two boys combined their efforts and cast All's end. When the attack ended, Rourke landed and then exploded into thousands of shards and light.

Once they arrived in the city, they saw that the holding tank surrounding Kida broke apart and the pieces floated around her. Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy stood together and watched as Kida rose high above the city. Then the light radiating off her magnified until they could no longer see her through it. A beam of light cast down into the city, ending on the ground beside Milo. Kida, now back in her regular form, lowered down this beam. She smiled at Milo and hugged him. The crystal remained above, and suddenly the entire city was lit up. Waterfalls began falling from the cliffs behind it, clouds formed overhead. The people of Atlantis cheered.

The Keyblades appeared in Riku and Sora's hands and they brought the weapons' ends together. The breeze picked up, and the same familiar symbols appeared interwoven on the ground. A light formed where the Keyblades touched and shot out, telling them to move on. As they released their Keyblades, they noticed the Atlanteans watching in wonder.

"What was that?" Milo asked, looking curiously at the two boys, with Kida standing beside him.

"Another world is calling, and we have to answer," Riku stated.

"You must accept something as a token of our gratitude." Kida smiled at the two boys and their friends.

Donald perked up, but Goofy placed a hand on his shoulder. Sora and Riku glanced at each other before both shook their heads.

"You don't have to give us anything," said Sora. "Friends are supposed to help each other."

Both Milo and Kida smiled at them, "Well at least take these, as a token of our friendship and to show that you are always welcome among us." Kida held out four crystals on cords, the same as all the Atlanteans wore around their necks.

Sora smiled, "Okay, thanks."

Riku nodded, "Thank you."

"No, thank you, Key Bearers."

Milo decided to stay in Atlantis. Sweet, Vinny, Audrey, Mole, Mrs. Packard, and Cookie received a hero's farewell, as well as gold, jewels, and crystals of their own. Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy said farewell to everyone and returned to their ships.

* * *

"Ready to check out that black hole?" Goofy asked through the ships comm.

"Yeah. Oh…wait a minute guys, I have to check something first," Sora answered before turning off the radio that connected the ships. Then, he turned to Riku. "What about Akane? It sounded like he won't be a problem yet, but what does he want and how did he get here? I-" He stopped short when he noticed the expression on Riku's face, an odd combination of distance, concern, and shame.

Riku took a breath, and his expression softened as he looked at Sora. "He might be a problem soon."

Sora looked very concerned now, "What's going on?"

"Something happened... I think it's what brought Akane. Xehanort's gotten much stronger. If I…after we fought the stray memories, before Akane spoke to us...Xehanort was able to speak to me. He could never do that before. I was able to stop him after a moment, but I have to concentrate on keeping him like this now."

Sora's eyes were getting wider as he listened. Then he looked down, as if sorting his thoughts. Finally, he looked at Riku again, "Does it hurt more now?" Riku nodded. Sora took a deep breath. "Okay. So we have to find out how Maleficent is bringing him back and stop it from getting worse, and who she's working with, and-"

"We have to take care of the worlds," Riku finished the sentence differently than Sora had meant to, but he was right. "That's probably why King Mickey left. We can't save the worlds if we don't exist anymore." Riku stopped Sora before he could argue, which he had wanted to. "Not that I'm saying he doesn't care, it's just that this is more important."

"Then we need to find The King," said Sora, "and save the worlds. How can we do both in time? What if focus on Xehanort first? If we can destroy him before he gets too strong-"

Riku shook his head, "Two were missing. Maleficent though it was Xehanort and I. Organization Thirteen thought it was you and I. They were both right. Remember what Yen Sid said: there are two meanings."

"Riku, what is it? What aren't you telling me?" Sora sounded forceful, but he looked worried.

"He also said that I would understand all too well. He was right about that too," Riku sighed and looked down. "One that had a heart of darkness and would be trapped by the light; that's Xehanort. The other that had a heart of light, which would always be enshrouded by darkness, but never eclipsed by it; that's me. The light that's trapping him _is_ my heart, it's his prison." He looked back up at Sora, who nodded to show that he understood so far. So Riku continued, "Sora, I don't think we're looking for a way to destroy him. I think we're looking for a way to keep him trapped there forever."

"What!? No! There has to be a way to defeat him, and we'll find it, _together_. We can't just leave him in you. What if this happens again? What if-" Sora stopped when he realized how harshly he was speaking to his friend. He did not understand why he was so upset by this. Suddenly, it all made sense... Because he knew it was true; everything that Riku said was true.

"We _are_ going to defeat him, because we're going to make sure he remains trapped forever. But we have to do it together Sora," Riku voice was soothing and calm.

_How is it, that he's the one calming me down?_ Sora thought to himself, but he realized that he knew the answer. _Because he has to. I have to keep it together. I should be the one watching over him this time._ "Okay. We'll do it together... _But_ we're sending Donald and Goofy to find The King. Maybe he's found an answer, or another way. It's worth a chance. We can continue following the Keyblades... Alright?"

"Are you sure? You've never done this without Goofy and Donald. We can do both. You did say that they were your strength, once"

"If you could do this all alone, then I can do it without them. We have to do this together, and if Xehanort's getting stronger, then you're getting weaker; that's what Yen Sid said. We have to hurry. Besides, I said 'my _friends_ are my strength' and you're my best friend, which means you're my greatest strength right?"

Riku blinked and for the first time seemed lost for words, but he quickly composed himself. "Alright, then send Donald and Goofy after King Mickey, if they want to go."

"They won't be happy about it, but they'll do it if I ask them to." Sora's smile returned, "We'll be fine as long as we stick together." He turned on the radio and spoke into it, "Donald, Goofy, there's something I need you guys to do for me…"

Sora had been right; Donald and Goofy were not happy to leave him, but they agreed with his reasons. They would all keep Chip and Dale informed on which planet they were located in via radio, so that they could easily find the others if something happened. Donald and Goofy were going to start by checking in with Yen Sid, Merlin, and anyone else that The King might go to for counsel. Sora and Riku would continue down the path that the Keyblades opened before them. Now they entered that strange black hole.

* * *

When Sora and Riku came out the other side of the strange black hole, they appeared to be in a smaller star system. Further out in the distance, they could see a cluster of planets with what looked like pirate ships from the storybooks they used to read as small children, flying between them. Closer to their current position was a lone planet with a pair of rings crossing around it.

"Let's check out that one," Sora pointed to the near planet. This new world seemed to excite him more than any of the others had. Whether it was because of how different it seemed from all of the worlds he had previously seen, or because it was the first world that he and his best friend would be exploring for each of their first times together, he was not sure. Quite possibly, it was a combination of both those reasons.

"Sounds good to me," Riku started punching in the coordinates for their arrival. "It's probably the one we're supposed to go to anyway."

Sora looked at him, a little amused, "What makes you say that?"

"We came out right beside it," Riku shrugged.

Sora thought about that for a second. The Keyblades did always lead them right to worlds that needed them or that they needed to learn something from. "You're right. If the Keyblades wanted us to do something on one of those other worlds, we would have ended up closer to them."

"You might want to take a look at this," Riku indicated the monitor.

Sora glanced at the reading. There was something strange on this world. Riku's coordinates placed them in the nearest clearing to the odd reading that still appeared safe. Sora noted that this was yet another thing, which Riku seemed to learn faster than he had. "Any idea what that means?"

"No. There's darkness here, but it's not what's causing those readings. Have you seen anything like this before?"

Sora shook his head, "No. Hey! Can we use the radio to ask Chip and Dale about it?"

Now Riku was looking at Sora in amusement. "_You're_ asking _me_? You have much more experience with gummi ships than I do."

Sora looked indignant as he answered, "Well, you're just supposed to know stuff that I don't."

"Why?" asked the silver-haired boy. "Sora, I'm less than a year older than you are and you've travelled through just as many worlds as I have... Maybe more. Only you had guides."

"But _you're_ the one that's always questions everything," the brunette countered.

"Where as you just question me," replied Riku.

Sora smiled, "That's right." Then he just sat there grinning at Riku, who stared at him a moment, blinked a couple of times, and then gave a small smile in return.

"Fine," Riku grabbed the radio, which did not seem to do anything. "Maybe it doesn't work in black holes." Sora was still staring at him, only the grin had faded. "Sora? Are you okay?"

"I was just thinking. You've always been stronger, faster, a better fighter, and a quicker learner than me." There was no sign of contempt or jealously in Sora's voice.

Riku looked slightly puzzled, "Okay…where are we going with this?"

Sora sounded a little concerned now, "I think you're the 'one true master of the Keyblades' that Xehanort's report mentioned. The Keyblade only chose me as a wielder after it couldn't choose you for awhile."

The shame and regret that laced Riku's features never touched his voice, "Because you're heart was stronger than mine. Which makes you a better choice for master in my eyes."

"You were able to take the Keyblade away from me in Traverse Town, before I…well, you know... _And_ you're able to loan out a Keyblade temporarily. I can't do either of those things."

"Does it really even matter who the master is? We're both wielders." Riku was starting to sound exasperated.

Never the less, Sora was still pushing his point. "Maybe that's why Maleficent has always targeted you. Or why Xehanort's heartless chose you. Or why _you_ never became a heartless."

Riku's usual confidence was back as he answered, "Maleficent targeted me first when all of this started because I was the only chosen wielder at the time. Xehanort's heartless chose me because my heart was weak at that time. I never became a heartless because I never lost my heart to the darkness. As for why I'm being targeted now, I'm not. They're after you too. I just have a weakness they can use."

Sora's usual stubbornness seemed to return as well, "That all makes sense and you're probably right, but I still think you're the true master."

"And that means…?"

Sora furrowed his eyebrows. _What does that mean? Riku's right, why does it matter? Why does this feel important all of a sudden?_ "You're right; we don't know what it means. Not yet, anyway. It might not even matter." Sora sighed, and then his smile returned, "Okay. You ready to go?"

They both laughed softly and then disembarked for the planet. They arrived in a small clearing, in what appeared to be some kind of jungle.


	11. Treasure planet

Chapter 11: Treasure Planet.

Riku and Sora began to head in the direction that the darkness and whatever was causing that strange reading were coming from, when they heard a crash in the distance. Both had stopped when they heard it, and now looked from the direction that it came from before turning to each other.

"Think we should check it out?" asked Sora.

Riku nodded, and they entered the dense foliage that seemed to cover most of the world. It was not long before they heard someone yell and then some_thing_ chattered fearfully. They called their Keyblades to hand and ran toward the sounds.

The source of the yells turned out to be a boy around their age. Several heartless of a kind that neither of the key bearers had seen before were attacking him. The boy was shooting at them with a type of laser gun that resembled the pistols Sora had seen in Port Royal. As Sora and Riku charged in, the boy seemed unsure of how to react to their presence and did not notice the heartless that was leaping at him from behind.

"Out of the way," said Riku as he gently but firmly pushed the confused boy out of harms way with his free hand. He brought Way to Dawn down on the heartless that collided with the floor instead of his intended prey.

"Take cover," Sora called to the boy as he and Riku fought the remaining heartless.

"What about them?" The boy indicated the edge of the clearing they were currently in; more heartless were appearing.

"We'll handle them," answered Riku.

The other boy began to protest, "But…"

"We know what we're doing," Sora cut the boy off before he could finish.

These heartless were powerful, but Sora and Riku dispatched them quickly. The other boy helped too, by firing his weapon from behind a fallen tree that he had used for cover. When the battle was finished, they all moved to the centre of the clearing. An odd pink glob of what appeared to be slime with eyes flew out of the boy's pocket and began flying around the three boys, making cheerful sounds all the while.

"What is that?" Sora asked as he watched it.

"That's Morph." As he was introduced, Morph stopped in front of Sora and transformed into a tiny but precise replica of him. After returning to its former appearance, Morph flew onto the other boy's shoulder and cuddled against him.

Sora chuckled and smiled as usual, "I'm Sora, and this is Riku." Riku gave a brief nod to them.

"I'm Jim," Now Sora took in Jim's appearance. He was a little taller than Sora, with brown hair and blue eyes. "What were those things?"

Sora explained about the heartless briefly. He had promised Donald that he would not meddle or give away too much information, at least on worlds whose affairs they had not already had to get involved in. He found it somewhat odd that Riku hadn't expressed an opinion on the subject, but then, Riku would do whatever he felt was necessary to help his friends or the worlds weather Donald liked it or not.

Jim explained that a few months prior he had found an odd map, which showed the way to the world they were now on; Treasure Planet. This was exiting to him because an old space pirate called Captain Flint had hidden the loot of a thousand worlds there. Jim, who was known as a bit of a troublemaker back home, had come in search of it in order to pay for his mother's inn to be rebuilt. It seemed the original one had recently been destroyed in a fire. His mother's friend, Dr. Delbert Doppler, had financed the expedition and joined him on this quest. Unfortunately, all of the crew save for the captain, were pirates who turned on them and were after the treasure. The crash that Sora and Riku had heard earlier was their lifeboat crashing down and the captain was injured. Jim was currently looking for a place to hide them all until they could come up with a plan.

During their explanations, the three boys began walking. Sora noticed that they were heading in the direction that he and Riku had originally started moving in and wondered if that had anything to do with why Riku was staying a couple steps ahead of the other two. _Or maybe it's just because we're walking slower because we're talking._

Perhaps it was just because Riku walks faster then the other boys, in any case, he was in front and therefore was the first to notice when a rusty robot dived out of the foliage –at them. He instinctively grabbed Sora's arm as he dove out of the way, pulling his friend out of probable harms way. Jim however, was tackled into a rather energetic hug.

"Oh, at last! Carbon based life forms, come to rescue me!" cried the strange and hyperactive robot.

"Will you get off me?" Jim shoved the robot off him and moved back a few steps.

Riku and Sora had already moved in closer and called their Keyblades to hand. They did not attack though, as the robot did not seem very threatening.

"Who are you?" asked Sora as the robot began babbling about a thousand years of solitude, being stranded, and losing his mind.

"Oh, I'm…I'm-B.E.N.! That's it; my name is B.E.N. bioelectronic navigator. Sorry, like I said, I've lost my mind. Hey, you haven't found it by any chance have you? My primary memory circuit?" He pointed to a place in the back of his head, where a small part appeared to be missing.

"No, sorry," Riku answered as Sora and Jim stared at B.E.N. in a mixture of amusement and bewilderment. "I'm Riku. This is Sora, and that's Jim."

"Look, I've got to get moving. I need to find a place to hide. There are pirates after me," Jim said with some annoyance as B.E.N. kept babbling about something or other and grabbing onto him.

"Pirates? I used to know this pirate called Captain Flint," said B.E.N. as he draped an arm over Jim's shoulder. "I think he suffered from mood swings, myself. You see-"

Jim suddenly took an interest in what the eccentric robot was saying and cut him off. "Wait, you knew Captain Flint? Then you must know about the treasure."

"Treasure?" asked B.E.N.

"Yeah, you know, Flint's trove. The loot of a thousand worlds…" Morph turned himself into a treasure chest as Jim spoke.

"Hmmm, I seem to recall something… There was a big door, opening and closing, and opening and closing …" B.E.N.'s voice distorted as he continued, "And the treasure was hidden in the c-centroid of the mechanism… Flint didn't want anyone to be able to get his treasure so he made me…ahh…REBOOT! REBOOT! REBOOT!"

Sora slapped B.E.N. in the head and then the robot spoke in his usual voice, "Oh, hello. What was your name again? I want to say Sara."

"Wait…what about the treasure?" asked Jim.

"I don't think he can remember without his missing piece," Riku stated a little sardonically.

"Maybe we should take him with us," Sora suggested, earning an irritated glance from Jim and a fond smirk and raised eyebrow from Riku. "Just for awhile; maybe he can help us."

Riku and Jim both stared at Sora for a moment as B.E.N. babbled on about an expedition or something; none of them were paying attention to him for the time being. Then Riku sighed and nodded, causing Sora to smile and Jim to groan.

"Fine, but you have to stop talking," Jim said to B.E.N.

"And you have to stop touching us," Riku added as he backed away from B.E.N., who had already hugged Sora and Jim, and was now moving in his direction.

"Okay. Touching and talking, those are my two big no-no's. Hey, before we begin our little 'exposition', do you think we could stop by my place?" B.E.N. moved over to a low hanging tree branch and pushed it aside, revealing in the distance a large metal structure that had become overgrown with the local plants.

Jim smiled at the robot for the first time as he looked at the old structure. "Well B.E.N., I think you just solved _my_ problem."

* * *

After briefly checking out B.E.N.'s place, the three boys doubled back and found Dilbert and Captain Amelia. The doctor appeared to be some kind of canine-human cross, not unlike Goofy and the captain was a feline-human mix. She was injured, so Dilbert carried her into their hiding place.

Sora pulled Riku aside to speak to him, "Do you think they'll be okay if we go on? I mean, maybe we should stick around and help. I don't think that counts as meddling, do you? If these pirates are anything like the ones at Port Royal, I don't think they can handle them."

"I doubt they could handle Captain Hook's pirates in their current condition," Riku responded, "And as far as 'meddling' goes; how are we supposed to save the worlds, but not affect their personal affairs? It's an oxymoron if you think about it. Of course, we're going to help. Why don't you go ask what needs to be done?"

Sora blinked a few times before answering. He had not been sure what to expect as a response, but it hadn't been that. "Okay -wait. Why do _I_ have to ask? You want to help too." He knew Riku was not trying to trick him or anything; he just wanted to hear the reply.

Riku looked as if he could not understand why Sora would even ask this, "Because _you're_ the friendly, outspoken hero." He shrugged and flashed a smirk, "I just stay in the background and come out to fight or fill in the blanks for you."

Sora was slightly irritated at the implication that he needed someone to fill in the blanks for him, but it was true enough. Riku had to do it more often than Sora would like to admit. At least Riku never made him feel stupid for it. He also felt an odd sadness at this statement from his friend. He understood Riku's reasons for watching him and helping him from the shadows before, but why did Riku feel it still needed to be that way? He filled in the blanks because he figured things out faster than Sora, and he ended any battle he entered faster than Sora could as well. Sora was far more trusting than he was, and that was not going to change, but did that really mean he couldn't let anyone else know how he felt about anything?

Sora was brought back from his thoughts by B.E.N.'s shouts. "Hey, look, it's more of your buddies. Hey! We're over here guys!"

"B.E.N.!" Jim shouted as Riku ran to the entrance and pushed the robot out of the line of laser-fire, which was now filling the opening of their hideout…the _only_ opening, as far as Sora could tell.

Sora summoned his Keyblade as he ran to Riku's side at the opening of the 'cave'. Riku had already called Way to Dawn, and was using it to block the bolts with one hand as he threw dark aura spells at the pirates with the other. Jim was ducking under the hole that served as the opening and firing his weapon at the pirates as best he could. Sora began blocking along with Riku.

After a moment, they heard a man yelling at the pirates to hold their fire. Then a male cyborg, who also looked somewhat canine, began limping up the hill toward their hideout, waving a white flag. "If it's alright with the captain, I'd like to have a word with ye, Jimbo."

"Probably wants to bargain for the map, no doubt." The captain grimaced as she tried to lean up, Dilbert held her shoulders to keep her still.

Suddenly Jim smiled, "Then that means they think we still have it."

"Meaning you don't?" Sora asked, wondering why Jim was grinning, and then he noticed Riku's small smirk had returned. There was an obvious mischievous solution that Sora had somehow failed to figure out. He sighed, "Okay, what am I missing?"

Riku's expression softened as he explained to Sora, although that slight smirk remained. "With the exception of that old cyborg, they don't seem very bright. If _he_ can be fooled into thinking Jim still has the map somewhere, the pirates won't kill him. Then we can find this map?" Riku glanced at Jim, who nodded, and then Riku turned his attention back to Sora. "And wait until they offer terms."

"The pirates just care about the treasure," added Jim. "Dilbert and the captain aren't greedy and a handful of that treasure will be enough to rebuild my mom's inn ten times over. We should all be able to walk away from this alright."

"Oh," Sora slowly let the word out as he finished wrapping his mind around the idea. Then he turned his attention from Riku to Jim. "We'll go with you to talk to him. That way he can't try anything."

Jim nodded, "Okay, but let me do most of the talking, Sora. I know what will work with him."

Therefore, Sora and Riku followed Jim out of their hiding spot and down to where the cyborg man waited, now resting on a boulder.

As the three boys got close, Morph flew off Jim shoulder and cheerfully greeted the cyborg, who held out a finger and stroked the little pink blob. "Morphy, there you are. I had been wonderin' where you were off to."

_Morphy, Jimbo …there's more going on here than just a straight out barter. _Riku glanced at Sora, who was glancing at him in return. He also recognized a higher level of familiarity between Jim, Morph, and the cyborg, then just passing each other on a ship for a few months. Jim had not mentioned being close with any of the pirates when he had told his tale.

"Ah, Jimbo, I see you've made some more friends," said the cyborg, now taking in Riku and Sora's presence. He politely bowed his head slightly as he introduced himself. "Long John Silver be the name, and what are yours lads?"

"I'm Sora, and this is Riku."

Silver looked from one Key Bearer to the other, "Well, I was hoping to have a word with Jimbo, here."

Jim spoke before Sora could answer, "Then talk."

Silver sighed and slumped back onto the boulder, "Look Jim, anything you might've heard back there, at least the parts concerning you, I didn't mean any of it. If that lot had thought I'd gone soft, they would've gutted us both."

_That explains it all._

_**Ah, yes. The pain and shame of accidentally betraying a friend. Something you can relate to, correct?**_

Riku stiffened and held his breath for a few seconds. In the midst of evading heartless and pirates, he had not been concentrating …or paying attention to his own body. Now he noticed that the dull ache in his heart was more pronounced, and he even felt some pressure outwardly, as if someone were pressing a fist against his chest. He couldn't do anything about the pain or the pressure, experience had taught him that, but he could push the voice away until it was buried too deep to be heard. He concentrated on that, not noticing how tense his muscles had become, or that Jim and Silver had finished speaking and were walking away in opposite directions. However, he did notice Sora's voice when it addressed him, as well as the concern that laced it.

"Riku? What is it? Did you see something? I don't think Silver will go through with it. I think he cares about Jim too much to do anything to him, whether or not he can stop the others is the problem. …Riku?" Now there was definite concern in his voice. He has just noticed that Riku wasn't just tense; he was actually trembling slightly. Riku never trembled; he had always been Sora's stone. "Is it Xehanort?"

Riku finally regained his composure, for the most part anyway. He still was tense, but he doubted if anyone except Sora could notice. "Mmm-Hmm. Silver definitely doesn't want to hurt Jim, but he might be a little blinded to what's right. We should go back and check on everyone." Riku's voice sounded distant even to his own hears.

Sora obviously heard it too, as his none of the concern left his voice, "Riku?"

"We can't do anything other than what we already are. I'm sorry, Sora, but what's going to happen is going to happen. Let's just do what we can."

Now Sora's voice sounded as firm as Riku had ever heard it, "Okay, but you can't give up Riku. It's not over yet, and I need you. I can't do this by myself."

Riku pondered this for a moment. "I think you can," He gave Sora a look that silenced him before he could argue, "But I don't intend to let you."

Sora nodded to him, "Okay, then lets go."


	12. Birth by sleep

Chapter 12: Birth by sleep.

When Sora and Riku entered the hideout; Jim, B.E.N., and Morph were gone. Dilbert informed them that they had taken the 'back door' out. It seemed there was a hatch, which opened to reveal miles, and miles of machinery, that ran through the entire core of the planet. Jim and his friends went to retrieve the map from where it remained hidden on the ship they had used to arrive.

"Should we go after them?" Sora asked, nervously eyeing the strange hatch.

"We have no idea which way to go from here," Riku was looking through the front opening of the hideout.

Dilbert suddenly addressed the two boys. "It appears that nearly all of the pirates are out here and Jim's always been very resourceful, I think he'll do fine."

"Well, then we'll just wait until he gets back and you've finished your trade before we head on," Sora told the doctor.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," stated Riku, still looking out the front opening.

"Why not…Riku, what's wrong?" Sora crossed the room to stand beside Riku.

Riku pointed to the horizon, where an eerie green glow could be seen beyond the trees, in the direction that they had pinpointed the strange reading earlier, "That."

Sora had followed Riku's finger and saw the odd light. Then he looked back at Riku, "What is it? Do you know?"

Riku kept his gaze on the memorable (if only to him) light, "Maleficent."

* * *

The two friends reluctantly left to investigate the new threat. Their concern was quickly justified, at the appearance of several of the same strange heartless that they had previously encountered on this world. They both summoned their Keyblades, and met the foes directly.

While facing off with one of the strange heartless, Sora noticed a dark shield appear beside him, blocking him from an energy shot that came out of nowhere and giving him time to finish off the heartless he was fighting. He turned and saw two of yet another new kind of heartless; these ones shooting energy bolts similar to the ones Jim and the pirates fired from their weapons.

Riku threw several dark aura spells at one of these, which successfully destroyed it. However, now more of the other kind, which were clawed and particularly agile, were appearing. Riku jumped, struck a couple of the offending heartless while in the air, and landed behind Sora. He then created another dark shield, which blocked them both from a series of energy bolts.

Both of the Key Bearers combined their energy to summon their thirteen guardian blades, and each threw out dark aura spells as these spun around them. All of the remaining heartless were destroyed. Both boys released the guardian blades and their own Keyblades. They faced several more onslaughts as they made their way through the dense foliage.

Finally, they reached a clearing, which lay between the jungle and a steep cliff that led to an immense wasteland.

There, looking over the cliff stood Maleficent. She turned to face the two boys and set her menacing gaze on Riku. "Well, well. It seems I may have underestimated the strength of that heart of yours, my dear child." Then her eyes moved onto Sora. "Ah, still playing hero are you? However, I do not see the king's lackeys. They could not possibly have expected a naïve boy and his broken playmate to defeat us on their own."

Sora was already fuming by the time the witch finished speaking, "Big talk from someone we've both defeated in the past."

"Defeated? You forget; I am still here. You have saved nothing; the worlds are still going to be mine." The sorceress chuckled, "And your friend still hasn't truly escaped the darkness that you so willingly deserted him to."

Sora tightened his grip on his Keyblade, "I didn't have any choice! Besides, Riku isn't a part of the dark realm anymore! There's dark and light in everything-" Sora cut his statement short when it occurred to him that she was not listening. In fact, she was not paying any attention to him at all. Her cold, harsh eyes were fixed on the boy beside him. Sora shifted his eyes onto Riku. Something was plainly happening... Riku was still standing strong, Keyblade in hand, but his muscles were contracted as though he were currently fighting and he was a few shades paler then usual. "Riku…?"

Riku kept his own cold gaze on the witch as he spoke to his friend, "Don't let her words distract you, Sora."

Maleficent was wearing a small, pleased smile as she addressed Riku again, "He's speaking to you now, isn't he? Do you really think you can fight us both in your current state and win both battles?" Her eyes flashed onto Sora for a second and then returned to Riku. "One heart will not survive this. Soon a decision will have to be made, and we both know what will happen in the end."

Now Riku fixed her with a small sardonic smile of his own, although his eyes remained cold and his body tense. "You can't pull the same trick twice, Maleficent. Half-truths and misguided emotions will not serve you. Not with me..." The smile vanished, "Not this time..." Before Maleficent could respond, he threw a dark aura spell at her.

The Key Bearers charged her now, however the sorceress slammed her staff against the ground and a shield of green light appeared around her. Sora did not stop in time, and he roughly collided with the magic shield.

"Sora," The mentioned boy felt himself healing even before the pain settled in as his friend cast his curing spell.

Suddenly, heartless began appearing everywhere. More than Sora had ever fought at one time. The Key Bearers used every spell and attack they knew, but each time they destroyed one of the heartless, another appeared to take its place. After using thirteen blades and all's end, they had a small clearing around them. The two friends stood back to back, as this clearing grew smaller.

Sora looked around at all the heartless that were surrounding them, "Uhh, Riku? Got any ideas?"

"Just one... Sora, I'm sorry." That last part was barely audible, and then Riku abruptly released Way to Dawn, took a step forward, and raised both his arms out at his sides. The ground began to glow in the now familiar symbol of a heart. All the heartless were destroyed that were standing on the heart or inside it. Riku raised his normally lowered head to the sky as a rain of light began to fall. Nearly all of the heartless were reduced to nothing more than black smoke. Then the light shower stopped, the heart faded away and Riku fell to his knees, looking exhausted and even paler than before.

The remaining few heartless attacked, Sora intercepted one before it reached Riku, who was its intended target. He destroyed the heartless and began fighting two more. A third lunged at him from behind and instead collided with Way to Dawn.

"Riku! You okay?" Sora continued his battle with the heartless as he called over his shoulder. The powerful attack had reminded him of one he had seen Axel use once, that had been the Nobody's final act. He had been afraid the same thing was happening now.

"It's… a little different …when you have a heart." Riku called back, fighting a heartless as well. He sounded worn, and looked it too. Sora had told him about Axel's sacrifice, and it seemed he knew what had worried his friend. Although it did sound as though the attack was of a similar nature, this one was less finite.

_Then what did he apologize for?_ Sora, hoping he was perhaps more concerned then the situation called for, turned as he finished off the heartless he had been battling. He saw Riku finish the one he had been fighting as well.

Riku turned to face his friend, it took every ounce of energy he possessed just to remain standing. The pain in his chest increased.

_**Are you going to say farewell?**_

This is what she meant. Riku saw that Sora was facing him from across the clearing. He was speaking, but Riku could not make out what he said. He could hear nothing but his own heartbeat and that voice he had come to despise. _It was a trap._

_**You are the one that wished you could just follow your heart. Now this is where it has led you. To destruction...sorrow, pain, shame…darkness. Always the darkness. You will never escape it…or me.**_

He could not force the voice away anymore; he had given up too much. The edges of his vision were beginning to grow dim. Sora began moving towards him. _It was worth it._

_**There is that weakness again. You are losing more ground with every heartbeat. Very soon, I will be able to take control.**_

Suddenly that recognizable green light appeared between the two friends and then Maleficent was back.

"I see everything is going as planned." She was facing Riku, her back completely turned to Sora as if he were not even there. "You wouldn't risk it, would you?"

Riku did not answer. He did not even appear to hear her. Sora did not like the way this was looking. He had missed something again...something important. In addition, Maleficent was getting too close to Riku, who did not seem able to move.

However, Sora could. He had never used this attack without the aid of Riku or Donald before, but it was not nearly as powerful as what Riku had done a moment ago. _If he can do that on his own, then I can do this._ He held his Keyblade in both hands and aimed at the sorceress. He could feel his energy level drop as a shot of light left the blade and flew towards the witch.

Just as the light was about to strike the witch, she vanished. Her cruel laughter on the other hand, did not. It rang through Sora's ears as the shot struck Riku in the chest. Sora's eyes widened in terror as he watched his friend fall back and land on the ground, seeming lifeless.

Maleficent appeared beside Riku, "Indeed, he is strong; death will not take him yet. Now is your chance; fight. Free yourself. Use the boy." She was speaking over Riku, but she was clearly addressing Xehanort.

Sora came out of the shock that had hit him upon seeing Riku fall. He tightened his grip on his Keyblade and lunged at Maleficent, only to collide with another wall of green light. He landed on his knees beside Riku. Upon turning, he saw the witch send a flame of green light in their direction. Sora leaned down, blocking Riku's chest and head with his body while shielding his own head with his arms. He wished he had restrained himself earlier; then he would have had enough energy for an aero spell. He heard the sorceress' spell strike, but felt nothing.

Sora raised his head from Riku's shoulder and saw that Riku's head was turned slightly, facing Maleficent. His eyes were barley opened and seemed to be struggling for that much. Looking over his own shoulder, Sora could see Riku's right hand and forearm raised slightly, with his palm out toward the witch, holding his dark shield in place behind Sora. His entire body was trembling with the effort of holding the spell.

Maleficent smiled at this, "Indeed you are strong. Xehanort will have quite the challenge in destroying your heart."

At those words, Riku's hand strained and his dark shield vanished as a dark aura shot out, striking the over confident sorceress. Sora saw his chance and charged. He managed to hit her three times in succession, before striking her with a powerful finishing move. He staggered a few steps to keep his balance, and then prepared to strike again, but Maleficent used the brief opening to create a dark portal and step through.

Sora's attention was brought away from the fading portal when he felt the familiar warmth of a healing spell wash over him. He turned around just in time to see Riku's hand fall limp. His head had rolled to the side and his eyes were finally closed.

_Oh no._ Sora ran to kneel beside his friend and tenderly placed a hand on Riku's chest. He could feel his heart beating hard, as if he were still in battle. Sora released the breath he had been holding, "Riku…"

Just then, he noticed the darkness pooling on the ground around Riku. It began to crawl over him, pulling him into its depths.

"No! You can't take him! Riku, come on…" Sora tried to pull Riku up, away from the offending darkness, but it was unrelenting as it drew him in.

_**Sora, go! Get away from it!**_

Sora froze. The voice was Riku's, but it was not coming from his unconscious form. Somehow, his friend was speaking to him. He did not have time to think about that now.

"Riku, no! I'm not leaving you in the darkness again."

_**Don't worry, Sora, I'll find my way back to you again. I promise.**_

An invisible force seemed to grip Sora's chest and pull him away from the shadows. It released as the darkness closed around Riku and disappeared with him.

"Riku…" Sora could not pull his eyes away from the spot his best friend had vanished from. He felt tears streaming down his cheeks, but did not care. Sora punched the ground beside him. _Don't give up, Riku. You've always found me before._ Sora had searched everywhere for his friend in the past, and he would do it again. He would look for him until they found each other. _Maybe this time I'll be the one who saves you._

A rustling in the shrubbery brought Sora's focus back from his thoughts and sorrow. He could hear some voices in the distance; they were getting closer. Then one familiar loud voice came across clearly.

"Was I ever dancing with an android named Lupe?" cried B.E.N. in near hysterics.

Sora sighed; there was always _something_ that had to be taken care of first. In the storybooks he and Riku used to read, the hero saved the world, the damsel, or his friends and then went home to live happily ever after. It seemed to him that the worlds always needed to be saved again. Or perhaps Maleficent had been right, and they had never fully saved them to begin with. 'Ansem' and Xemnas had been defeated, but that seemed to work in favour of bringing back Xehanort, who was now the biggest threat as far as Sora was concerned. After all, if Maleficent did find a way to open Kingdom Hearts and take control of the worlds, they would still exist. He and his friends could fight her afterwards, but if Xehanort destroyed Riku's heart, he would lose his best friend forever.

Sora stood and raised one clenched hand to his own heart. Riku had spoken to it a moment ago; he had done it before too, when Xehanort's heartless had nearly defeated Sora. He knew that their hearts were connected somehow, he had heard enough throughout these journeys to know that they were connected in several ways. As Key Bearers, as best friends, and now this light/dark, other half of the same _something_ that Yen Sid spoke of. One thing was certain, he had to find him.

But the worlds needed to be saved too.

Sora stood, "Riku… just hang in there. I need some time. I have to do this too." He spoke the words weakly, wiped away his tears and waited for whatever was going to enter the clearing.


	13. Inter nos

Chapter 13: Inter nos.

A beam of light broke through first, pointing out over the cliff. Then Silver approached, followed by the other pirates, as well as Jim, Morph, and B.E.N., who appeared to be captives. Jim was holding an odd mechanical ball, which seemed to open like a puzzle. The light that had broken through was coming from it. Sora figured this was the strange map Jim had mentioned earlier.

"Well now, what do have here?" asked Silver upon seeing Sora in the clearing. His eyes scanned the area, "Where's your little friend? The one with the cold eyes?"

"He's not here," Sora answered quietly. He noticed that Silver's ears drooped slightly and his eyes looked concerned as he took in Sora's appearance.

Before anyone else could react to Sora, all attention turned to Jim, as the light that had broken through earlier retracted back into the map, which then closed. The pirates began to threaten Jim, one of them pushed him to the ground and the map rolled to Sora's feet. He kneeled down to pick it up as he heard Silver whispering to Jim to hurry up and think of something that would calm the other pirates.

Sora noticed a small indentation in the ground as he kneeled to pick up the map. He brushed the moss away to find that the ground was actually made of metal. The groove was round and he noticed that it resembled the map in his hand. The pirates were getting very angry now. Sora quickly shoved the map into the notch.

Everyone stopped to watch as a small glowing hologram of the universe that they were in sprawled out over the map. In addition, another beam of light shot up from the edge of the cliff. This one split, forming a triangle, inside of which there could be seen another world.

"A big door, opening and closing," Jim quietly repeated B.E.N.'s words as he touched different worlds in the small hologram, only to have the strange triangle close and open again to reveal that particular world. "That's how Captain Flint disappeared with all that treasure."

"So…it's a portal?" asked Sora, as the scene before him kept changing.

"But where _is_ the treasure?" Silver ignored Sora, as he moved beside Jim and began opening the portal to different worlds.

B.E.N. began speaking in that slow distorted voice again, "The tr-treasure…is in the…cent-ce-centroid of th-the-"

"The treasure is in the centroid of the mechanism," said Sora, beginning to lose his patience with the eccentric robot.

"What if the whole planet _is_ the mechanism?" asked Jim, more to himself than anyone present.

With the exception of Silver, all of the pirates considered this for a moment before attempting to dig into the ground. They soon discovered it was made of metal and stopped. Again, they glared angrily at Jim.

"How do we get to the centroid, Jimbo?" asked Silver in a somewhat rushed tone.

"By opening the right door," Jim answered as he touched the small holograph of the planet they currently inhabited.

The portal closed and reopened once more, revealing a vast chamber filled with gold, jewels, and the like. Everyone present stood, staring in awe, at the view before them. Jim was the first to step through, followed by Sora, Silver, Morph, and B.E.N., the rest of the pirates stepped through hastily afterwards.

"You know, I have the distinct feeling that I'm forgetting something…" B.E.N. trailed off as Jim lifted a hand.

"We're getting out of here, and we're _not_ leaving empty handed." Jim told B.E.N. and Sora as the pirates ran ahead and began stuffing their pockets and bags with loot.

Jim cocked his head to indicate to his left. Sora looked that way and saw a ship similar to the ones he and Riku had seen flying around when they first entered the strange black hole. This one appeared to be older and a little worn down. The three of them made their way over to this ship as quickly as they could without drawing the attention of the pirates.

Jim slowed so that Sora was closer behind him. "So, where _is_ Riku, anyway?"

Sora deadpanned, and something in his appearance must have given him away, because Jim looked apprehensive before any words left Sora's mouth, "He's gone." Realizing how choked these words had sounded, Sora cleared his throat and blinked a few times before continuing, "But I'll find him."

"Well, how far could he possibly be?" Jim had thought at first that Sora meant Riku had died. However, that last part suggested he merely left, although where he could have gone to, while they were stranded on a nearly empty word, was a mystery to him.

"Farther than you think, but I can't really explain, sorry…" Sora flashed an apologetic smile. He had promised Donald, after all. "Right now, let's just get off this world."

Jim nodded, "Okay. Let's see what it'll take to get that flying again."

They reached the ship and climbed aboard; it appeared to be in good shape and treasure covered much of the deck. The gaze of both boys stopped halfway through scanning the ship, as they set upon the skeletal remains of a human-like creature. It had several eye sockets in its skull and wore the remains of a frock coat and captain's hat.

"Captain Flint?" said Jim, staring at the skeleton in amazement.

"You know this all seems very familiar. I still have that feeling that I'm forgetting something important..." B.E.N. was saying from somewhere near the front of the ship.  
Sora noticed that Captains Flint's remains had something clutched in one hand. He leaned down to look closer and noticed it was metallic, and had wires sticking out of the back. He pulled it out of the skeleton's hand. Sora then noticed the rounded back…and that the metal matched B.E.N.'s.

Sora looked at B.E.N. and saw that the empty spot in the back of his head matched the shape of the item in his hand. "Hey, B.E.N., I think I just found your mind."

He approached the robot's back and held up the item to see if it did indeed match. Once it was within a few inches of B.E.N., the wires moved of their own accord, connecting with the ones sticking out of the empty space in B.E.N.'s head and pulling the missing piece into place. It appeared that the rush of information that must have been filling the empty parts of his memory overcame B.E.N…

"Whoa, you know, I think…I think…I'm thinking! Oh! I can remember everything now! Right up until Captain Flint tore out my primary memory circuit so that I couldn't tell anyone about the booby trap!"

"Booby trap?!" both Sora and Jim exclaimed.

As if on cue, they felt the chamber start to quake. They heard an explosion, and then turned to see that a large crack had opened across the centre of the chamber and was growing. The pirates were fleeing and everything else was falling into the crack.

Sora turned his attention to Jim, "Will this thing fly or not?"

"I just have to reattach some cables. Can you open the solar sails? B.E.N., go back and help the captain and the doctor." Jim was already under the navigation panel, rewiring something.

"There's no way I'm leaving my buddy behind-" B.E.N. started to proclaim as he pulled Jim out from under the panel by his ankles. Jim did not release the wires in hand and fixed B.E.N. with a fierce glare, "-Unless he looks at me like that."

B.E.N. left as instructed as Sora made his way to the main post. He had seen his friend Will handle sails during his last adventure, and assumed that this could not be that different…or that difficult. He turned out to be half-right: Solar sails were very similar to cloth sails; however raising them was harder than he expected. When he was finally about to finish, he looked down and saw Jim and Silver on the deck, apparently arguing.

Then the ship lurched to their right as it began sliding toward the crack in the chamber. Now Sora could see that it led to miles of machinery just like B.E.N.'s 'back door'. Explosions continuously tore through the core of the world. The ship lurched again; Sora was thrown from the mast and landed on an odd metallic spire.

Morph flew beside Sora. He was making panicky sounds and indicating something below them. Looking down, Sora saw Silver holding onto the treasure-filled ship with his mechanical arm, and was trying to reach something with his human arm.

The something turned out to be someone. Jim had not been as fortunate as Sora when thrown from the declining ship. Jim had collided with the side of a pillar. He was barley holding onto a crease in the metal. Just as Jim grip was about to fail, Silver surprised both he and Sora by releasing his prize to save the boy. Morph had flown back to Silver and Jim during the commotion, and was now pointing out Sora's location.

"Don't worry about me; I can make it to the portal from here." Sora called down to them, then began jumping atop the various pillars toward the exit.

Meanwhile, Jim, Silver, and Morph ran for the door. After they all jumped through, Captain Amelia's ship pulled up and B.E.N. threw down a line for them to climb aboard. Somehow, Delbert, B.E.N., and the captain had caught and trapped the remaining pirates during all the disorder. Now Dr. Doppler was handling the helm while the captain instructed him from where she sat behind him and B.E.N. was handling the navigation panel.

As they tried to flee from the self-destructing world, one of the ship's thrusters was knocked off. The captain and Dr. Doppler ran some checks and discovered that the ship would not be able to get out of the inevitable explosion's destruction radius in time.

"Then turn us around, there's a portal back there!" Jim yelled to the doctor as he dragged a large piece of metal over to where the thruster had landed on deck.

"You mean the one that's opened to a raging inferno?" Dr. Doppler called back.

"Yeah, but I'm going to change that." Jim began to look around as if searching for something.

"What do you need Jimbo?" asked Silver as he kneeled down beside the boy.

"Just some way to attach these," Jim held the thruster at the edge of the metal panel to show what he had planned.

Silver moved Jim's hand aside and his mechanical arm rotated some parts until a welding iron was present. He quickly attached the two items as Jim had indicated.

Jim pulled the new contraption to the edge of the deck. "Make sure they keep this ship headed straight forward, no matter what happens."

Silver looked apprehensive about this comment.

Sora stepped beside Jim. "Wait, why don't you let me go? I have better chances of making it and Dr. Doppler can't handle this ship on his own."

Jim nodded, "Okay, do you remember the spaceport I opened earlier? It looks like a crescent moon. Make sure you open that one."

"Alright, you take the helm; I'll open the portal," Sora grabbed the makeshift vehicle as Jim ran to the bridge and took the helm.

Sora started the thruster and pushed off. The strange vehicle reminded him of a cross between a skateboard and the hovercraft that he and Riku had used during part of their battle against Xemnas. He had to dodge explosions, debris, and falling objects as he rushed to the portal. Finally, he saw the holographic map and the miniature replica of the spaceport. His hand just managed to brush against it as he sped pass.

The sudden silence was as deafening as any explosion. The surrounding environment changed drastically as the vast coldness of space replaced the hot, humid fury of the world they had escaped.

* * *

Sora did not see Jim, Silver, or Morph on the bride of the ship so he decided to search below deck. He found them speaking beside the lifeboat and determined that he should give them a moment before interrupting, since the conversation appeared to be of a serious nature. Suddenly, Jim untied the knot that held the skip in place.

"Hey, why don't you come with us? We make quite a team, "asked Silver as Morph chirped in agreement.

Jim smiled fondly at his friend, "You know, when I got on this boat I would've taken you up on that in a heartbeat, But then I met this old cyborg and he taught me that I could chart my own path."

Silver smiled in return, "Well, look at you, glowing like a solar flare." He pet a tearful Morph, "Say, Morphy, what say you do me a favour and keep an eye on this here pup?"  
Morph chirped happily once more and flew onto Jim's shoulder.

Then Silver cast off in the lifeboat. "Oh, and give these to your dear mother, to rebuild that inn of hers," He threw a handful of gold and jewels to Jim and then waved goodbye.  
Sora walked over to where Jim stood and they watched the old pirate sail away.

"So, any idea what you'll do now?" asked Sora.

"The captain said she'd recommend me for a good academy. I think I'll take her up on that after my mom and I rebuild the inn. B.E.N. can help her run it, since it looks like I'm stuck with him." Jim looked less irritated by that last remark then Sora had expected. It seemed more as if he was making a joke about an old friend. "What about you?"

"I'm going to go find Riku. First, I'm going to meet up with a couple of my other friends. I've never done this sort of thing on my own and I've always thought of my friends as my strength. I just hope I can reach them."

Jim looked at Sora with some concern and then smiled as he stroked Morph. "Hey, why don't you take Morph with you for awhile then? It'll take some time to rebuild, and to convince my mom to let me keep him. You can bring him back before you and Riku go home." He looked at Morph, who was purring contentedly. "What do you think, Morph? Do you want to help Sora?"

Morph rubbed against Jim's cheek, then flew to Sora and cuddled up on his shoulder.  
Sora smiled and stroked the little pink blob, "Okay, Riku and I will bring him back together. Thanks guys."

* * *

After he had flown the gummi ship out of the strange black hole, Sora tried the radio with more success than he and Riku had while inside of it. Chip and Dale said that Donald and Goofy were about to leave Twilight Town the last time they reported in.

"Alright, can you tell them to meet me at Yen Sid's tower? Riku's in trouble. I'll need their help if I'm gonna help him."

"Of course, Sora. I'll tell them right now," Chip said sounding both concerned and confident hat the others would help. Sora wished he felt as confident about the former as the chipmunk did.

Dale's voice broke though the speakers now, "What's wrong with Riku?"

"Maleficent did…I don't know what exactly, but I think Xehanort is doing something to him. The darkness took him away. We've got to find him."

Chip's voice replaced Dale's, "Alright, Sora. They will meet you at Yen Sid's tower. It shouldn't take them too long to get there; they had only just left Twilight Town when I radioed them."

"Okay, thanks Chip and Dale," Sora put down the radio and charted a course to Twilight Town.

_Please be okay, Riku. I'll find you…somehow._

Morph chattered away excitedly as he flew around the cockpit. Sora was glad to have the company on his first solo-flight.


	14. Viscid dreams

Chapter 14: Viscid dreams.

Riku stood and glanced around; darkness was all he could see.

"Well, well…here we are again." Said a familiar voice from somewhere behind him.

Riku loathed that voice. It had haunted him for too long. He turned to face 'Ansem' however; it was not Xehanort's heartless that he saw, but rather, Xehanort himself.

Although he was not quite the same as Diz had known him. His features and voice were, but he held himself somewhat differently; now looking more like a hardened warrior than the sage's apprentice had. He donned armour like the kind Riku had seen in his dreams… ones that were actually the long forgotten memories of the man he now faced.

"Do you still fear those whom are lurking in the darkness?" asked Xehanort with small, unfeeling smile.

"I am one who lurks in the darkness." Riku answered grimly as he summoned Way to Dawn into his hand.

Xehanort ignored the weapon, and began to circle the imperturbable teen slowly. "Maleficent's spell has all but restored my true self. Every moment now, I grow stronger, while you are weakening. Do you really think you can defeat me, boy?"

Riku followed Xehanort with his eyes, but moved no other part of his body. He watched the man stalking him as if he were barley interested, his Keyblade held casually at his side. "You really shouldn't trust Maleficent. She will only help you as long as it is in her benefit… And I don't intend to lose my heart without a fight."

Xehanort stopped in front of Riku, with his body still facing the direction he had been moving in, so that he had to turn his head to look at the boy's face. "You really are stronger than they gave you credit for."

Riku met his tormentor's eyes, "You have no idea."

The cold, diminutive smile returned to Xehanort's lips. "Actually, I do. I can't allow your heart to survive this time." The smile faded, as he looked Riku over. "You're almost worn down enough. Let's hurry the process along, shall we?"

With those words, Xehanort summoned an ebony Keyblade with amber spikes adorning the hilt and pommel. He quickly lunged at the young Key Bearer, but Riku had been expecting the attack. He turned on his heel and brought up Way to Dawn to block. Then both jumped backwards and landed in a solid fighting stance. It had been some time since either warrior had a straight one-on-one duel, let alone against as powerful an adversary as they each now faced. However, neither of these facts stopped either of them from fighting or fighting well.

Xehanort attacked again with frightening speed, however not only did his young rival block, but also jumped over him, twisting and striking his shoulder in the process.  
On the third attack, Riku felt Xehanort's blade cut into his thigh as he passed.

On and on the battle raged, both opponents taking several more hits and blocking countless more. Had anyone been near to watch, he or she would not have been able to keep up with the skirmish.

Finally, they broke apart once more. Riku's shoulder and thigh were bleeding freely and he was clutching his side, which he was sure contained several broken ribs. He had not yet had time for a health potion spell. Xehanort's shoulder and head were bleeding as well, and he was limping heavily. In the few seconds that they stared at each other, they both realized something.

Riku was weakened too much to defeat Xehanort at this time. On the other hand, he was not yet broken down enough for Xehanort to destroy him without being obliterated as well.

"You have not won, child. I'm still growing stronger and you have already weakened greatly." Xehanort vanished into a flash of grey light, which then surrounded Riku before fading into him. As this happened, Riku felt an all too familiar pain in his chest, as if a dagger had sunk into it and was now twisting repeatedly.

Riku awoke to find that he was cold and in much pain. The injuries that Xehanort had inflicted upon him during there battle in his heart had somehow occurred on the surface as well. He fell to his knees and, alone in the surrounding darkness, did not notice the telltale signs that unconsciousness was taking him.

* * *

Pain, shame, fear, darkness…and a voice, but not the one he dreaded.

"Can you hear me?" The voice was deep but soft... almost soothing.

_Where am I?_ "Yes."

"Are you alright?" The owner of the voice was concerned, but good at hiding it.

_No._ "Who are you?"

"My name is Vincent Valentine. You are Riku, correct?"

_For the time being._ "How did you know my name?"

"The King told me about you. Not many match your description."

"Where are we?" The darkness was starting to fade from his vision.

"In Traverse Town. In the house your friend Sora knew as Leon's."

At the mention of his best friend's name, Riku forced away the fatigue that had been weighting him down. The other feelings he could ignore for now, he was already getting used to them again. His vision snapped into focus. He sat up, in doing so realized he had been lying on a bed, and took in his surroundings.

He had seen this room before, but not from the inside. He had not told Sora about the time he had watched him through the window, while Maleficent's words combined with Sora's apparent dismissal of him ate away at his will and heart. There had been nothing to accomplish by telling Sora this, it would only make him start to feel some of the shame and guilt that Riku had carried since. It was bad enough that one of them had to know such despair; Riku would not allow them both to wallow in it.

Nevertheless, the room looked more lived in now. The reason for this was most likely the man that was watching Riku with a serene, yet concerned expression. He had crimson eyes and dark hair that flowed down his back, which was kept off his face by a red sash tied around his forehead. He was wearing dark clothing under a frayed red cloak, as well as an odd sort of gauntlet that caused his left hand to appear as claws.

"Did King Mickey say anything about Sora? Where is he?" Riku found himself asking before he intended to speak.

"The King told me quite a lot about both of you. Shortly after I found you and brought you here, he contacted me. He is already looking into a way to help you and your friend out, but I'm guessing you already knew that. His head knight and his court mage are currently on their way to meet Sora, they will stay with him until you two are together again… and I will stay with you. I don't actually know where any of them are."

Riku just watched Vincent for a moment while he considered all of the information. Sora was all right, and Goofy and Donald would be with him soon. However, there did not seem to be any way to contact him. King Mickey was still working on the problem of how to defeat Xehanort and Maleficent for good. In addition, he wanted this Vincent person to stay with Riku.

_I wonder weather that's for my protection or theirs._

_**No one can protect you now, and no one can save you. It is too late for all of that.**_

_I guess I'll just have to save myself then. It's not as if I haven't done it before._

Riku realized that, while he still felt pain in his heart and had some soreness elsewhere, he did not have the injuries that were inflicted upon him during any of the past few battles. Vincent said he had found Riku and brought him here. He must have taken care of him as well. "Thank you… for everything."

Vincent blinked. He hadn't expected this kid to wrap his head around everything so quickly and then react so calmly. "You're welcome."

Aqua eyes rose to meet crimson ones, "Do you know where I can find a gummi ship?"

Vincent smiled faintly, "Not one for wasting any time are you? I think we will get along just fine." The smile faded, "The King said you would probably want to head out right away. We'll have to go to the first district." The concern grew on his features once more, "Do you feel up to moving already? You were in bad condition when I found you. The health potions keep wasting their efforts trying to heal something that they do not seem capable of healing. You've been out for a little over a day since I found you," He seemed to be studying Riku carefully.

Vincent silently noted, now that Riku was conscious and upright, that he held his head downcast slightly, so that his bangs hid part of his face. His shoulders also drooped slightly, as though he were used to carrying a heavy burden. Moreover, his muscled were tenser then they should have been from the residual pain of his injuries.

Riku stood. He was a head shorter than the man before him was, but if Vincent intended to stop him, then Riku's will and skills would more than make up for him being physically inferior. "I'm as well as I'm going to be. My time is running out and there's still a lot to do."

He slid a hand into his pocket. No one knew that he still carried the item, which he now gripped. He had just been incredibly honest with Vincent, but he was going to have to start hiding the truth… especially from himself. He could not acknowledge everything he was feeling and dreading if he was going to help Sora and save the worlds… and he _was_ going to do those things. Even if they were the last things he would do.

He took the blindfold out of his pocket and tied it on.

He then pulled his bangs and some more of his hair out from between the black cloth and his skin, so it would be less uncomfortable. At least this darkness did not feel the same as the other kind…and this one he chose. It did not try to eclipse him. Riku let out a small, resigned sigh.

Vincent watched in concealed curiosity, but felt an unexplainable wave of pity wash over him as he watched the boy block his eyes from the world. He looked so resolved as he did it. _There is more to this boy's story then what The King told me._ Unexpectedly, Vincent found himself _wanting_ to help the aqua-eyed teen. "All right, then we'll go now."

Vincent grabbed some extra ammunition for his weapon, Cerberus, and some health potions, and then he and Riku left the comfort of the small house. They silently cut through the square of the third district that led to a door, which directly connected the first and third districts. They had only made it about halfway across when the heartless appeared.

Vincent drew his weapon and fired a few shots into one of the heartless, turning it into a wisp of black ash that dissipated in the breeze. He opened fire again, but was partially distracted as _something_ flew past him. It looked like a flame created from an uncomfortable blend of light _and_ shadow. It collided with one of the heartless, causing the same result as his weapon had with the previous one. He fired again as he turned his head and saw Riku throwing another dark aura spell.

He continued to be shortly distracted as the boy moved into a defensive stance, summoning an unusual sword that also suggested an odd mix of the divine and the profane as he did so.

_The Keyblade… _

After seeing that the Keyblade wielding youth could obviously handle himself in a fight, even blindfolded, Vincent returned his full attention to the heartless. He had to re-accustom himself to fighting alongside someone who wielded a sword, and it was clear that Riku wasn't used to fighting beside someone using a weapon like Vincent's, but they both adapted quickly, and before long they had destroyed all of the heartless.

Vincent reloaded Cerberus, and returned it to his holster. Riku lowered Way to Dawn, but did not release it. He stiffened and turned his head until his chin was nearly over his shoulder. Had it not been for the blindfold, Vincent would have though he was looking over his shoulder, but then he recalled how well the boy had just fought while wearing it. He, too, glanced behind them.

Standing before the door through which they intended to exit was a man. Heavy ornate armour coved him from head to toe, and he appeared somewhat ethereal.

Riku spoke calmly as he and Vincent turned to face this man. "I haven't lost yet, Akane, and I won't give up… I can't." Riku had never been the trusting sort, but maybe this man, this thing, did just want to destroy Xehanort after all. His actions and words had backed that theory so far.

_**Fool child, do you really think he intends to let either of us survive? There is more to the story then you know. You did not realize what was happening in some of those memories from the Keyblade War. The incident with your friend was not the first time your soul has known such betrayal. There is a reason for your inborn mistrust.**_

"Riku…" Once again Vincent's voice returned Riku's awareness to the physical world.

Akane moved his hands slightly away from his sides and tightened them into fists, but they did not remain empty. A Keyblade appeared in each hand.

Riku spoke very quietly as he ever so slightly turned his head toward Vincent, "Do you know how to use a sword?"

"Yes, but I don't carry one. I'll be fine," Vincent already had a hand rested on Cerberus.

"No, that won't work on him. Use this," Riku held up his left hand and another Keyblade appeared in it. This one looked earthy and natural in comparison to the other one he held.

Vincent eyed the powerful weapon before returning his crimson gaze to the boy, "I'm not a chosen wielder."

"You don't have to be as long as I can keep some of my focus on allowing you to wield this."

Vincent took Wrath of the Earth from Riku and gazed at it for a few seconds. It did not vanish as he had expected it to. _Then he is the true master…_

Akane took a step forward, "You may not be damaged enough for _him_ to destroy you yet, but you have been worn-out enough for me to… you _both_ have. Now I shall end both of you once and for all."

Akane attacked without any further warning. He seemed to disregard Vincent's presence completely, focusing the assault solely on The Keyblade master. Riku dodged the first blade and brought up his own to stop the second. Akane swung the first Keyblade back at the boy, only to have it stopped by Vincent's borrowed one. As Akane kicked Vincent, Riku pushed Akane's Keyblade away while dropping into a kneeling position. Then he brought down Way to Dawn and struck a weak spot on the strange man's armour, right where the leg attached to the torso. Riku then hit him with a dark aura spell as they both moved away from each other.

While Riku and Akane fought close, Vincent decided to see if the boy had been right about his weapon. He drew Cerberus and fired at Akane. Although he hit his intended target, there was no effect. _How is this possible?_ He gripped Wrath of the Earth in both hands and rejoined the heated battle.

Akane blocked Vincent's attack and sung his other Keyblade at him, only to have it strike against a dark shield as Riku moved in between the two men and summoned one. Then, as the shield vanished, both Riku and Vincent advanced on Akane.

Just as it appeared that a victory was close, Akane spurned Vincent and as the latter fell backwards, Akane brought the now freed Keyblade around and struck Riku in the side.

Vincent had just stood when Wrath of the Earth vanished from his hand. Riku had said he had to keep some of his focus on allowing him to wield it; it seemed that he could no longer spare that focus. _The kid is on his own now…_


	15. The lost two

Chapter 15: The lost two.

Sora made his way up the stairs of Yen Sid's tower with Morph happily flying around him. He came across some heartless here and there, but they were just weak shadows and not very difficult to defeat. Finally, he reached the door at the top, the one that lead to the wizard's study.

"This is it, Morph. We'll be okay now. Yen Sid might even know something about Riku." Sora knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He opened it slowly and quietly entered the room. There was no one there. He sighed and his smile faded. Morph cuddled against his shoulder. "Well, I guess we'll just wait for Donald and Goofy here then. Maybe Yen Sid will come back too."

Sora approached the desk Yen Sid usually sat at and noticed a book laying open on it. It was facing the door, so he did not have to turn it around to read it, although he already had…

_Those chosen by the light, or ensnared by darkness. Friends who share the same bonds, though their paths may differ. When you doubt the path trod thus far, when the hand you held is lost to you, gaze anew at the heart that once was… for all the answers are within._

Sora wondered if Yen Sid had intentionally left the book out for him. He recalled when he had first read it. At the time, he was missing Riku, along with a large portion of his memories. Now he knew most of what should have filled those blank spaces, even though Sora still could not remember Castle Oblivion or any of the events that took place there. Sometimes you forget something and then someone tells you about it and you remember in the telling. This was not like that. Even after Riku told him all that he could, some of it repeatedly, it was still as if none of it ever happened.

The Organization, Diz, and Naminé were gone for good. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy could not recall anything from that time. The only proof that all of the events which took place in that castle ever happened, were a year's worth of blank memories and the subtle shifts in Riku when something made him think about said events.

Not that anyone besides Sora would notice. The protectiveness that Riku had always shown toward his friend, which seemed to relax a little when he saw that Sora could handle himself all right, came back in full force at the memory of seeing him imprisoned in the strange sleeping chamber. It was yet another thing Riku felt ashamed of, as if it were all somehow his fault. Sora could not understand that. It had not sounded that way to him when Riku told him of all the events he had forgotten.

A fond smiled appeared on his face. _Same old Riku._ Sora blinked as realization struck him. Yen Sid _had_ left the book out for him. He was missing something again and this time Riku was not around to help him put the pieces together. In fact, Riku's heart was probably fighting Xehanort's in the darkness somewhere while Sora just waited here. _His heart is too strong for Xehanort to destroy._ Sora clenched a hand into a fist. Even if Xehanort did defeat Riku, -_No one can defeat Riku_- his friend's heart would survive and there _had_ to be a way to bring him back. After all, that is what Maleficent and Akane did with Xehanort. Sora blinked again. There was another key player that he had forgotten until just now: Akane.

That being realized, Sora now had several other questions in his mind, such as, exactly what _is_ Akane? Does he intend to destroy Xehanort regardless of the consequences to Riku? How had Akane appeared in Atlantis when Riku distinctly remembered (in a fashion) that he was killed in the Keyblade War? Most importantly, how could Akane be stopped? _Wait…he actually died. The Underworld…_

Sora decided where he would go once Donald and Goofy arrived.

* * *

If not a plan, then Sora certainly had an idea formed by the time Donald and Goofy arrived. They had actually met up with The King, but he had not come with them. It seemed The King was still searching for something, but had asked his friends to assist Sora once more. They agreed to help Sora without any hesitation.

Sora filled them in on all that had transpired since they had parted ways while they flew to The Olympus Coliseum. This time they all travelled in the same gummi ship.

"…So that's when I thought of the Underworld. Did The King say anything at all about Riku or Xehanort?"

"Well, he said sumthin' about Riku knowing what to do and that we would have to trust in the strength of his heart and your guys' friendship." Goofy stated optimistically, although he did not appear to understand.

Sora looked a little confused, "He said that Riku knows what to do?"

"He said that Riku _would_ know what to do," corrected Donald.

"And that it was silly of him to think that he could find out more about it then Riku could, seeing as how Riku can access Xehanort's memories now." Goofy added, "And since Riku's- Ow!"

Donald stomped on Goofy's foot to stop him mid-sentence. "Goofy! We promised!"

Sora groaned. _Not this again. Why won't people just tell me when it's about Riku? He is my best friend after all…_ "Promised what to who?" He spoke with more annoyance then he had intended.

Goofy placed a hand on Sora's Shoulder. "Well, you see Sora, The King made us promise not to tell you some things. He said that Riku would want it that way and that Riku ought to be the one to tell ya anyhow."

"Do these things have anything to do with Xehanort or Akane?"

Donald looked at Sora apologetically. "Sorry Sora, but we promised."

However, Sora was not about to drop the subject that easily; not while Riku was in trouble. "Riku said before, that he thought we were going to have to trap Xehanort in his heart for good instead of defeating him. He's right, isn't he?" _Please say he's wrong, that The King found something… anything._

"What!" both friends exclaimed at once.

"Well, I guess Riku's already starting to figure everything out then." Goofy noted, now back to his usual cheerful demeanour.

"Goofy!" Donald looked imploringly at Goofy. "Aw phooey! Just don't tell him anything else."

Whether or not Goofy had heard Donald was uncertain, since he just continued speaking, however on the same subject. "Besides Sora, maybe trapping Xehanort for good _is_ defeating him. At least he won't be able to hurt anybody."

"Except for Riku…" Sora shoulders slumped a little. He felt defeated, he had been sure there was another way. _But if both Riku and The King think that's how we have to do it…_ He didn't want to think about that. "So what is The King doing now?"

This time Donald answered, "He's trying to figure out a way to counter Maleficent's magic so she can't resurrect herself or anyone else again."

"He said he thinks he's on to sumthin'," added Goofy.

The little smile that usually was set on Sora's face returned. _At least there's some good news._

* * *

The three friends arrived and entered the coliseum, which was completely restored to its former glory after it was left in shambles during their previous journey.

"Wow, I guess Phil and Hercules have been busy."

"They sure have." The voice behind them was undeniably feminine, although it seemed to hold an unconscious edge.

Sora turned and smiled when he saw whom it was. "Meg! Hey, how's everything been here?"

"Hi there, junior heroes." Meg smirked when Sora frowned at this and Donald began fuming. "Relax, I'm just kidding." Then she crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one side. "Oh, you know wonder boy and the old goat. A hero's work is never done. Fortunately, Hades has been preoccupied with something lately, so he's been going easy on them."

Sora jumped on the new piece of information, "Preoccupied with what?"

"I don't know. Hades and I aren't playing on the same team nowadays." She threw her hair off her shoulder. "Phil's preparing another tournament, he and wonder boy are in there if you want to ask them. I'm not supposed to let anyone in, but I think they won't mind this exception."

Sora looked at the roped-off entrance to the arena, "Okay, thanks Meg." With a small wave he, Donald, and Goofy headed for the arena.

"Hey, did you ever find your friend?" Meg called out softly.

The sudden change of expression on her face told Sora that he did not mask his surge of disappointment and concern well. "Yes. Well, he found me, but he's…" He cleared his throat when his voice caught. "He's gone again, but I'll find him this time."

Meg nodded lightly, then reach out and pushed Sora's face up with a gentle fist under his chin. "Hey, chin up. I'm sure you will."

"Of course we will," Goofy said with utter confidence and mirth.

* * *

A loud whinny greeted the heroic trio as Pegasus landed in front of them and threw his head merrily.

"Hey Peg."

"Sora! Donald! Goofy! Hey, how are ya? Come back for some more training?" Phil walked around from behind Pegasus.

Sora couldn't help but smile at the satyr. "Maybe later, Phil. We don't have a lot of time right now."

Phil pointed a stern finger at him, "Don't rush into things too quickly kid. You get sloppy doin' that." He put his hands on his hips, "What's going on any way?"

"It's Riku…there's too much to explain now, but there's this guy named Akane. He's after Riku, but the thing is; he died a long time ago."

"And Megara said that Hades has been up to sumthin' lately," added Goofy.

"So you guys figure he had something to do with this Akane guy coming back from the dead. Makes sense, but why would he be after Riku?"

"Riku's a Key Bearer too, and there's-"

"Sora! No meddling!" Donald insisted.

Sora exhaled heavily. _Getting fed up isn't going to help Riku either._ He addressed Phil again, "So do you guys have any idea what he's been up to? Has Pete been hanging around again? Have you seen a kind of see-through guy with fancy armour on, or a witch in long black and purple robes?"

Phil held up a hand, "Whoa, slow down there. We don't know what Hades is doin' and we haven't been in The Underworld at all lately. There just hasn't been any need. Ever since the last time Herc and you guys took care of him, Hades hasn't been up to his usual tricks."

"Hey, where is Hercules anyhow?" asked Goofy.

"He's up at Mount Olympus; he should be back later today. You know who might be able to help you though. That guy, Auron; we see him every now and then. He seems to be the observant type, maybe he has some idea about what Hades is doin'."

Sora perked up a little at this suggestion, "Auron's still around? He was a big help last time."

"It sure would be nice to see how he's doin'," replied Goofy as Donald nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, let's go and see if we can find him and figure out what Hades is up to. We'll see you later Phil," Sora waved as the three of them headed toward the underworld.

* * *

"Heading out or heading down?" Meg asked as Sora and his friends entered the coliseum.

"Down…We're hoping to find Auron, and I have to help Riku and make sure the worlds are safe," answered Sora, who was surprisingly cheerful.

"Well then, won't you need this?" She held up the Olympus Stone.

"Oh, right. I forgot about that. Thanks Meg." Sora took the stone from her and immediately he, Donald, and Goofy could feel the cool sensation of the stone's power shielding them from the curse of The Underworld.

"You kids be careful now." Meg smirked and crossed her arms as Goofy pushed an irritated Sora and a furious Donald out the doors.

* * *

Sora noticed the Moogle's holographic shop on their way to the underworld caverns and remembered the conversation he had with Riku on their way to Yen Sid's tower.

He approached the shop and took the small blue crystal out of his pocket. He gave them several other items as well, some mythril, a dark shard, and such. Afterwards, he held the finished keychain in hand. The stone remained the same, however the flat side that had once attached it to the trophy it connected to was covered in mythril silver, which had two black circles that intertwined, etched into it. A simple chain connected it to a clip that would allow it to attach to his Keyblade.

Sora directed his attention to the two doors that led to the different chambers of the underworld when Goofy spoke next. "Why do you think only one entrance is sealed?"

"Because someone already removed the seal from that one." The answer came in a gruff voice behind them. The trio turned and saw a man with black hair and a red coat standing behind them.

"Auron!" All three exclaimed.

"How ya been?" asked Goofy.

"We were hoping to see you," added Sora.

"What do you mean someone already opened it? It's locked by powerful magic." Donald asked with a hint of annoyance.

"I mean both doors were locked by magic. Hades did not want anyone finding out what he's been doing." The guardian ignored the other two comments.

"What has he been doing?" Sora asked after it became apparent that Auron was not going to say anything further.

"And who unlocked that door?" questioned Donald.

Auron addressed Sora when he answered both questions. "I don't know what Hades has been doing, but he's been far too busy for it to be nothing. I also do not know the names or positions of the people who entered the caverns. There were two. A man with long black hair and red eyes, and a boy with long silvery hair, who was blindfolded. It was the boy who opened the doors, he bore an odd sword, similar to the one you wield."

"Riku!" cried Sora before he could compose himself. He cleared his throat and added, "The boy sounds like Riku. Did he look okay? Did you talk to him at all? Wha-"

"I did not speak to either, and they spoke too softly for me to hear anything they said. The man did most of the talking. The boy probably stood nearly half a head taller than you do. He looked worn. He also had a slight limp and seemed to favour his left arm, as if he were recovering from an injury."

"That definitely sounds like Riku." Sora sounded worried, Riku had looked pale and tired when they were separated, but he had not been injured. _…except that I hit him with that blast from my Keyblade. It did sound like Xehanort was going to fight him, too._

Goofy interrupted his thoughts, "But Sora, why would Riku be wearin' that blindfold again? Didn't King Mickey say he only wore it before because his eyes wouldn't lie?"

"Riku said he wore it to fool himself. He had to, in order to do what he needed to… So he could help me," Sora was uncharacteristically solemn. _What does he have to do now? Why does he have to lie to himself again?_

This time Auron broke into his pensive. "They already have a fair head start on you. There have been many heartless around lately and some other enemies that have a ghostly appearance. Furthermore, if Hades is up to something, you may want to accept some assistance."

Sora looked up at the guardian and smiled. "Thanks, I'll take you up on that this time."

"And perhaps you could explain the situation with your friend on the way. There seems to be a story there. An outsider may notice something you missed."

"Okay, well for starters, he's the one I was looking for during the last time I was here…"


	16. Defect memories

Chapter 16: Defect memories.

Riku rolled to avoid another hit, then rose to a crouch and finally flipped back, all the while Akane kept advancing. Riku summoned Wrath of the Earth in his left hand and attacked Akane with both Keyblades.

Even if Cerberus would harm Akane, there was no way Vincent would chance using it now. The two key bearers and four Keyblades were lost in a deadly dance that moved to quickly for anyone to dare enter.

However, someone did, as several heartless and a stray memory appeared. In the corner of his eye, Vincent saw Riku's head shift slightly toward the new arrivals. He was still in the midst of his arduous battle with Akane.

Vincent drew Cerberus. "Stay focused, I'll handle the heartless." After shooting several of them, he realized that the accompanying creature had an appearance similar to Akane. He watched as it moved toward him whilst he reloaded. _This better work on that thing._ He pulled the trigger once and watched the creature recoil as it was injured. Vincent continued to destroy the heartless, taking shots at the stray memory whenever it came into view.

Meanwhile Riku and Akane persisted in their chaotic duel. What no spectator could have known was that there was a second duel occurring parallel to the physical one. It was Xehanort that caused Riku to lose his concentration on Vincent, not Akane. Both enemies seemed to carry a particular odium toward the other, and that mutual hatred fuelled both of their attacks on Riku. Each wanted to destroy the other so much, that they were trying to tear through the boy whom prevented them from facing each other without any thought of consequence.

_I could just let them destroy each other. _

_**There would be two less enemies for your friend to face. He would be much safer. Meanwhile your suffering would finally end.**_

Akane attacked with both Keyblades simultaneously. Riku blocked and parried. Then he quickly struck Akane in the shoulder and dodged another swinging blade. The pandemonium continued.

_Sora could save the worlds with King Mickey and the others. They would only have to defeat Maleficent and make sure the door remains locked. _

_**That is quite a simple task for two key bearers. They would not need you. He would not need you.**_

_But he would miss me. After it was all over, when he returned home…alone._

Akane brought both his Keyblades together and lunged at Riku, aiming for his chest. Instead of dodging, Riku caught the blades with his own, and used the linked Keyblades to pull Akane's arms apart and down, forcing the man to lean. Once he had leaded forward enough, Riku struck Akane's head with his own. The head-butt threw his enemy off balance and Riku was able to back up and assume a defensive position.

_**He would learn to live without you faster than you would like to believe. Was that not what led to your downfall? The pain of how quickly he had replaced and forgotten you? **_

_That was my fault… my mistake…_

_**Then make up for it now. If either Akane or I survive you, he will be in more danger then ever before. You could end it all now. **_

Akane threw one of his Keyblades at Riku; it grazed the back of his shoulder blade as he shifted to avoid a solid hit. Riku moved in and attacked now, Akane blocked Wrath of the Earth as Way to Dawn connected with his side. Then he summoned his other Keyblade back into his hand and both wielders constantly swung, blocked, and parried.

_My mistake was believing the words spoken by Maleficent and your heartless and then giving in to my sorrow. I never make the same mistake twice and I will never cause him pain again. Not if I can help it._

_**Watching you suffer will not cause him pain. I find that difficult to believe.**_

_I can hide my suffering well, even from him. _

They were battling through a fog of black ash, since Vincent had destroyed all of the heartless by now. Riku caught Akane's attack and struck out with his foot. His foe staggered back just long enough for him to notice the sound of Cerberus firing and a scuffle that meant Vincent was moving towards them. Riku heard and felt something rush toward his head and brought up Way to Dawn just in time to block Akane's first blade. The second came, aiming at the back of his neck, he twisted around and blocked with Wrath of the Earth.

_**What happens if you defeat Akane and then I destroy you? He will have to face me, and either be killed or kill me along with whatever remains of you. **_

_I will defeat Akane and you…even if I have to destroy myself as well._

_**Just to save him from a little sorrow? There is that weakness again. I wonder if Maleficent or Akane have noticed it as well.**_

Xehanort had just inadvertently helped Riku answer a question that had been plaguing him since He and Sora were at Radiant Garden. This revelation only strengthened his resolved and increased the urgent feeling that he needed to return to Sora. The next time Akane attacked, Riku pushed aside the first blade, and instead of moving back to avoid the other, moved forward. This allowed the second offending Keyblade to sink into his chest near the left shoulder, but it also caused Akane to move into Wrath of the Earth as Riku raised it, sending it straight through the mysterious enemy's torso.

Akane simply faded away; much like the stray memories did when defeated. His Keyblades vanished with him, which had the result of Riku's shoulder suddenly increasing in pain as he stumbled from leaning into Way to Dawn as the Keyblade it was holding back disappeared. He released his own Keyblades as he attempted to balanced himself and clutched his wounded shoulder.

_**Interesting, you would rather risk death than risk your friend being hurt. However, this works for me as well. Akane is no longer a threat and you shall be even weaker.**_

Riku was vaguely aware that he was falling, and distantly felt someone catch him. Then he was aware of nothing.

* * *

_He could not help but wonder how far the betrayal went. He new that Xehanort had turned and suspected that Akane had as well. He refused to consider the possibility that the other had; he was his closest friend, after all. Therefore, he came to this 'meeting' because his friend believed Akane deserved a chance. _

This is a dream.

**It is more than a dream. **

k He walked down the path in this dusty wasteland. It had not always been like this, before the war, it was green and alive. The only sounds he could hear were his own footsteps and the clanking of the heavy armour he wore. Once upon a time, he would have heard crickets and birds. He also would not feel dread because of the oncoming meeting.

I have seen this before, only I did not…

**You did not understand and you did not **_**feel**_**. It was not **_**your**_** memory you were seeing then.**

_Now he was beginning to wonder what he had done wrong. What caused his former allies to turn against him? Xehanort longed for power and thought that he could take the Master of the Keyblade's by destroying him. He had always known of his fellow key bearer's lust for power. However, why would Akane turn against him as well? _

Akane…Brilliant red…He enjoyed battle too much.

**Yes, he was jealous of your power in measures of strength. I was jealous of your power in measures of control.**

_He saw Akane waiting at the junction ahead and could see his last remaining friend approaching from the road beyond. Shortly after they reached the point where the roads crossed, he sensed something terribly wrong. Then they all noticed the figure approaching from the fourth and final road._

There were four paths and a bearer for each. Light, dark, the in between, and the present…and one was the true master of all Keyblades.

**Why you ever chose to share this power is beyond me. Never the less, I am glad you did. Soon, I shall have it all.**

_Suddenly Akane turned on him and a fierce battle ensued. Xehanort joined it when he reached them. The only one he had counted on as a friend simply stood there. He could not tell whether his friend was in shock, waiting, or simply had not yet chosen a side. _

It was a trap. I was betrayed.

**Yes, but by **_**whom**_** is really the question. I told you; your heart is quite used to betrayal.**

He might have been tricked. He always was naïve, Akane was always forceful, and you were always cunning. He may not have understood everything that was happening.

**Is that what you really believe or what you **_**want**_** to believe?**

_By the end, Xehanort had killed Akane, and then fell under Way to Dawn. Finally, the light and the dark separated the two remaining Key Bearers. It was as if the worlds decided to end this before they lost all the Key Bearers._

Sora was right.

**Goodbye, **_**Master of Keyblades**_**. Your time is limited.**

* * *

The pain returned with consciousness, only it had intensified.

_How much worse can it get?_

_**You will know soon enough.**_

A voice was calling him again.

"Sora?"_ No, that is not his voice._

"No, I'm sorry," There was that well hidden concern again.

"Vincent?" He must have been lying on the ground; it was hard and cold.

"Yes?" The voice was coming from above him. Vincent must have been leaning over him.

"Just checking," Riku sat up slowly, and heard the man beside him shift out of the way. His chest and shoulder were sore. He touched the wounded spot gingerly and felt a light scar, "Thank you again."

"You're welcome again." His voice was mildly amused, then turned serious and held a touch of sympathy. "How did you fight so well with that blindfold on? Who was that?" Riku could hear Vincent stand up.

"I've had a lot practice. His name was Akane." Riku stood up and turned so that he was facing Vincent, whose eyes remained fixed on the blindfold that hid the eyes of the boy in front of him. "I have to find Sora."

Between his long bangs, the blindfold, and the fact that he never seemed to smile or frown, it was nearly impossible to read the boy's expressions. It did not help that his soft, calm voice never changed in pitch or that his posture rarely changed. He stood in a way that was casual enough not to draw attention to him, and yet suggested that he could strike out or defend in a fraction of a second. Riku's head, which he still generally kept lowered a little, had shifted to the side slightly, which led Vincent to the conclusion that he was thinking.

He decided to interrupt the boy's thoughts, "Where do you think he is? The King Didn't mention any whereabouts. Will he remain in one location and wait for you, or will he search blindly?" Vincent did not like his lack of understanding in the situation.

Riku's answer suggested that this is what he had been pondering, and that he understood the discomfort of the man to whom he was speaking. "Sora will look for me. First, he will join Donald and Goofy. They'll probably try to consult King Mickey or Yen Sid. Sora is smarter than he gets credit for; he will have learned since last time. " Vincent wondered about that comment, but decided to leave it alone. Riku did not strike him as the type who normally spoke about his thoughts or trusted people for that matter. Riku suddenly turned his head toward Vincent, "The Underworld…he'll go there. He knows Akane has been killed before."

"Akane has been killed before? How is that possible?" Vincent did not sound shocked, only interested.

Riku decided he may as well give this man a chance… he had certainly earned it. He only hesitated a moment before answering, "I'll explain on the way. Sora's in trouble." After that was said, he began walking toward the door to the first district again.

Riku heard Vincent toying with some electronic device and then speak to someone. "Reeve, its Vincent. Yes. We're on our way to the gummi; can you start preparing it for take-off? Yes. Thank you." There was another beep, followed by a slight shuffling of fabric and then Vincent addressed Riku. "A friend of mine is…Did you hear me speaking to him?"

"Yes." He answered simply.

"We should be able to take off as soon as we reach the ship," Vincent responded neutrally. "He won't be joining us, though. He has other matters to attend to."

"Thank you," said Riku earnestly. "I appreciate the help."

* * *

After a quick introduction and farewell to Vincent's friend, Reeve, they wasted no time in leaving.

On the way to The Underworld, Riku learned that Vincent knew several of Sora's friends in Radiant Garden. As the restoration of that world was under way, Reeve, Vincent, and a few others decided to restore Travers Town and make it their new home. They were hoping to eventually find a way to allow for travel between the two worlds.

Riku didn't tell Vincent everything. There wasn't the time and he was not the type to tell everything anyway. He did, however, fill Vincent in on the current situation with Maleficent and Xehanort. He also explained about Akane and told the man why he was suddenly so desperate to reach his best friend.

"…While I was duelling Akane, Xehanort…said something that made me realize why the stray memories are after Sora. They won't stop just because Akane has been defeated. I doubt he was ever the one in control of them anyway," the silver-haired boy finished.

Vincent noticed a few things as the boy spoke; that Riku phrased his statements _very_ carefully, that he was still not sure if he should trust Vincent, but was making a notable effort to, and that he would not state that _he_ had defeated Akane, practically single handedly.

He decided to only respond to what the boy said, instead of inquiring about everything he did not say, at least for now, since they were in a hurry. "Do you have any thought as to who is in control of them then?"

"Maleficent," answered Riku quietly. "My guess is that she manipulated Akane into doing her bidding as well."

Vincent nodded slowly, "And she is sending them after Sora, why? You said they never try to kill him, but the heartless do. If she we're in control of both, wouldn't they have the same agenda?"

"You can control the heartless to an extent, but not enough to stop them from trying to take hearts," Riku explained. "Akane was probably the one who started using the stray memories, and he excelled at strategy. He only wanted revenge against Xehanort at first, but a stray memory, even one as powerful as him, can only feel the emotion that they were created with."

"So his thirst for revenge spread to you and Sora as well," Vincent concluded. "However, Xehanort was his main target and you were his main threat, so he focused his actions on you. Then Maleficent realized that his strategy was sound. They could wait for Xehanort to destroy you, and then allow Sora to defeat him, and then they would only have to face Sora … and his friends, whom they do not consider a powerful threat on their own. All of this would also be easier to accomplish if you and Sora were separated."

Riku simply nodded once as a response.

* * *

They disembarked at the doors to the underworld caverns. Both were locked by powerful magic.

"We aren't going to be able to cross that," Vincent said calmly. "I suppose this means Hades is involved somehow?"

Riku only nodded again. Vincent knew Xehanort must be troubling the boy. He could not possibly be this quiet naturally, and the healing potions Vincent had giving him did not heal his injuries nearly as well as they should have.

Riku raised his hand and summoned Way to Dawn. He pointed it at one set of doors, causing a thin beam of light to pass from the tip of his blade, to the enchanted lock. With a hollow click, the barrier vanished.

Vincent looked from the doors to the boy beside him, "Are you sure you can handle all of this?"

Again, a single nod is all the reply he received before Riku entered the cavern.


	17. Weakness of the Heart

Chapter 17: Weakness of the heart.

"…and then the darkness opened a portal on its own, and it took him through."

"I would think it was obvious that Xehanort opened the portal. The darkness does not have its own agenda, it simply _is_. The person wielding it decides how to use it. Both the darkness and the light are neutral," corrected Auron.

Before Sora could respond to this, a dark portal opened and two stray memories came though, accompanied by a few heartless. The heartless quickly attacked Sora's companions, while the stray memories came straight for the young Key Bearer. The first one moved toward him with frightening speed, summoned a quarter staff, knocked him back, and continued to advance.

When Sora summoned his Keyblade, he felt as well as saw the effects of his new keychain for the first time. He could feel his defences rising significantly as he held the silver Keyblade. An interweaving pattern of royal blue and aquamarine ran the length of it, the hilt surrounded his hand with the same heart shape that he had come to recognize as Riku's symbol, and the prong at the tip of the blade was a single silver wing. The blue crystal that Riku had saved for him from Diz's duplicate Twilight Town hung off the pommel. Sora decided to call this one The Watcher.

In the corner of his eye, Sora saw Auron turn in his direction and start cutting his way through the enemies that separated them. Sora blocked another attack, and then swung The Watcher at the stray memory that was attempting to grab his arm. It collided with the creature, knocking it back, and Sora struck again. The Keyblade's newest form was surprisingly powerful, considering how light it was. Sora was able to string together several attacks with ease and destroy the eerie foe before him.

The second wraithlike enemy took the place of the first, this one wielding a sword. After fighting for a few moments, the ghostly creature had forced Sora back, further away from his friends. It knocked Sora down with a well-aimed strike, and then Auron was suddenly between them. He caught the follow-up attack with his own blade and threw the ethereal villain several feet back. He and Sora attacked together and defeated it. As it vanished, Sora saw Donald and Goofy finish off the last of the heartless that had accompanied it.

Sora released his Keyblade and his stoic companion shouldered his own weapon. "You said that Maleficent and Akane wish to wake Xehanort in the hopes that he will defeat Riku's heart, and that they are sending the stray memories after you." Auron maintained his usual gruff but calm demeanour as he spoke. After Sora nodded to show he was correct, the guardian continued, "And yet, the stray memories that just attacked were obviously not trying to destroy you."

Sora looked a little confused, Auron was clearly going somewhere with this, but he could not guess where. He decided just to keep the conversation going, "No. They never try to kill me; just wear me out and try to take me."

There were still no signs of what the stoic warrior was thinking, "And what did this Yen Sid tell you about the situation?"

Sora thought for a moment, "He said not to jump to conclusions and that things are not always what they appear to be."

"Yes, that is always good advice, but have you considered it's meaning regarding your current situation?" Auron seemed determined to make the boy realize this on his own.

Now Sora was starting to get annoyed, "Look, if you know something about what's happening, why don't you just tell me?"

Auron's composure did not alter at all, "Because this is _your_ story. You have to reach some conclusions yourself."

Sora groaned, "You can't give me a hint?"

Auron grinned slightly, and Sora was not sure if he found that more comforting or creepy. "You can not think of any reason why your enemies would want to take you, but not kill you?"

Sora just started at him. He actually had not. He decided to try the honest route and shook his head.

Auron's grin was gone now, "These creatures are controlled by the same villains who wish to awaken Xehanort, correct?"

"Yeah," Sora still was not putting the pieces together. He noticed that Auron took on a similar tone to the one Riku had always used when he was talking Sora through a difficult homework assignment.

Auron continued in that same familiar tone, "And Xehanort is the dark entity that is trapped in Riku's heart?"

Sora nodded. If he let Riku keep talking in such a situation, he would usually tell Sora the answers without actually _saying_ the answers somehow. He hoped that approach would work with Auron as well.

"The same Riku who helped lock himself into the dark ream, so you could go home? Who gave up the chance to rid himself of this darkness, in favour of harsh battles, rather then forget about you? Who was willing to live in the darkness that he fought so hard to free himself from, in order to wake you? Who gave up his form and his freedom to aid you from a distance? Who then placed himself in harms way multiple times, and received nearly fatal wounds, to protect you? _That_ is the person whose heart your enemies seek to destroy?"

Sora blinked a few times as he took this all in. At least Auron had undoubtedly been listening to him earlier, although he did not recall phrasing these incidents quite as the man before him did. "Yeah, that's Riku." He knew this sounded stupid, but it was all he could think of in way of a response.

"When you are trying to defeat a powerful enemy, how do you go about it?" Auron abruptly asked, but it was obvious that he had not changed subjects.

"You find its weakness and attack it…" Sora did not have to think about this answer. He had known it long before he ever laid eyes on a heartless. Riku had told him this after one of their earliest spars. Sora never asked how his barley-older friend had learned this. He decided he would when this was all over. _If Riku is still around to ask… He has to be…_

Auron gave Sora a curt nod. "I would say it is clear to anyone, even one who knows less than half of what you have told me, where the weakness in your friends heart lies."

Sora's expression altered from confused to distant, and finally to concerned, as his mind realized what his heart had been trying to tell him all along. He looked up at the ruff guardian again, "You mean me. They're trying to get me so they can use me against Riku somehow."

"Xehanort, His heartless, Akane and Maleficent have all failed to defeat Riku on their own in the past. It would make sense that they would work together for a common goal…" said Auron, "And because Xehanort has been slow to act thus far, it would also make sense to have a plan of assistance."

Sora shook his head slowly, "But Maleficent would know by now that Riku and I would never hurt each other. There's no way-"

"You're assuming she means for you to harm him directly and intentionally," the guardian interrupted. "Any harm to you would harm his heart, which will make it easier for Xehanort to defeat it. In addition, if Riku had to choose your survival or his own, do you think he would hesitate to make such a choice? Whose would he choose?"

Sora was shocked and more than a little distressed now, however, he knew the answer even before he heard the question. "Riku wouldn't hesitate; he would choose my survival over his own. I-_we_-can't let it come to that." The boy's features relaxed and now he appeared determined, but hopeful, "If they're worried enough to put a backup plan into effect, then maybe Xehanort can't defeat Riku."

"You have said before; that no one could defeat Riku," Donald reminded him.

Sora nodded and smiled.

Auron shook his head slowly, "Don't be over confident. Anyone can be defeated if you find a way to use their weakness. Don't give your enemies that chance." With those words, he began walking once more.

* * *

They rounded another corner of the winding caverns and stopped in their tracks. There, in the clearing before the final trail to Hades lair laid Cerberus… dead.

All three heads were severed from the body. Said body was covered with many wounds that appeared to be the work of Riku, as well as several bullet holes, and wounds created by a large beast with sharp claws and teeth. Part of the body was smouldering and there were pools of blood and darkness scattered around the cave. Several slash marks and debris also decorated the floor and walls of the cavern.

Auron noticed that while Goofy and Donald stared wide-eyed and open mouthed, Sora's eyes were scanning the cave floor. "Your friend is not here anymore."

The boy's head snapped up and now his fearful gaze fixed on the guardian. "What?!"

"I meant that he has continued down the path," Auron indicated the tunnel ahead.

"Oh," One could see the relief wash over him. He turned his attention back to the carcass. "How-? What-? Every time we defeated Cerberus before, we didn't have to do all of this, and there was never a body left."

"Perhaps that is why he always returned when you defeated him. Cerberus was not a heartless or similar creature; his demise should leave a corps behind." Auron returned his attention to the remains, "As for the extent of the damage, it seems that someone decided to wield the darkness. Let us hope that it was only temporary in order to conquer their enemy."

Sora knew that Riku would not willingly use the darkness again, unless he had to, in order to save the worlds or save Sora, and certainly not while Xehanort was waiting for an opportunity to take over. That left him with two equally disturbing scenarios in his mind. One: that Riku had weakened enough for Xehanort to claim the darkness through the unwilling boy's body. Two: that whoever was with Riku was using the darkness, and therefore was possibly _not_ an ally as Sora had assumed. He decided to verbalize his concerns.

Goofy was the first to respond, "I don't know, Sora. Riku used the power of darkness for a while, but he isn't evil. He used it while he was helping us and fighting the Organization. And King Mickey uses the Keyblade from the dark realm, but he uses it for good, 'cause he's good. Maybe whoever is with Riku is using the darkness to do good too."

"They did defeat Cerberus permanently," Donald added.

"You guys are right; Riku wouldn't be travelling with someone who was up to no good. I don't know if that makes me feel any better though, considering the alternative…" Sora's mind seemed to trail away with his voice, until Auron spoke again.

"There are more than two alternatives to this situation. We do not know whom your friend is with or why they are working together. You have made several unlikely associations and travelled with some odd companions over the course of your journey. In any case, you can not assist your friend by standing here worrying about him." With that said, the stony warrior started walking past the remains of Cerberus.

Goofy and Donald looked at Sora, who nodded and looked more resolute as he followed Auron with them behind him.

* * *

They encountered some more heartless and a few more stray memories on their way to Hades' throne room. Sora was becoming more and more certain that Hades, or someone working with him, was behind the stray memories attacks. He had only come across two or three of them on each of the other worlds, and had already faced more then that here, despite the fact that it had been his desire to find Riku, and not the Keyblade, that led him to this world.

_Why does something always have to come up? _

Sora pulled himself from his thoughts when he realized that his friends had drawn their weapons again. He called The Watcher to his hand as he noticed a rather large figure approaching from Hades' lair. He recognized the pompous body and tiny head of Pete instantly. He sighed in defeat.

_Riku, hold on just a little longer. _

Pete had been looking over his shoulder, as if watching for something behind him. When he turned his head forward again and saw Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Auron, he skidded to a stop and looked utterly bewildered. "What? You again? What are you brats doing here?"

Sora gripped the Keyblade harder and shifted into a battle stance; he and his three friends effectively blocked the path that would allow Pete to escape. "What are _you_ doing here? Where are Akane and Riku?"

"Oh, I don't think we'll be seeing either one of them again," Pete checked behind him and then seemed to be sizing out his chances of getting past the four heroes.

Sora's gaze narrowed in a rather uncharacteristic way, "What do you mean?"

"I mean your little brat friend is fighting a battle his heart can't win. Xehanort should be done with him any minute now."

"Riku!" Sora was about to run past Pete, when Auron held his arm to stop him.

Pete stomped one foot against the ground, "Oh, no you don't! Heartless!"

Several dark portals appeared briefly as the heartless answered. The electric feeling of magic momentarily filled the air as transparent barriers formed behind Sora and Auron, preventing any hope of escape. Donald and Goofy were already battling several heartless on the other side.

As Sora defeated a heartless, another one attacked from beside him, but collapsed as a few bullets dug into it, quickly reducing it to black ash. While taking on the next heartless that rushed at him, Sora stole a glance in the direction that the gunshots were coming from. He saw a man fighting just past Auron… a man with long black hair, crimson eyes, and a frayed red cloak. _The one who was with Riku… but he's alone now. _Sora lunged past the heartless to catch up with Pete; if anything had happened to Riku, he would pay. Sora noticed, but did not actually register the fact that another barrier formed, separating him from Auron and Riku's odd travelling companion.

That is, until Pete spoke again and two stray memories joined them. "Well, it looks like it's just you now, pip-squeak, and we've got some unfinished business to take care of."

"Actually, I think I have some unfinished business here as well," said a voice that Sora recognized, and it stopped both Sora and Pete mid-attack. Each slowly turned their head to face the silver-haired figure that slowly approached.


	18. Bane of Cerberus

Chapter 18: Bane of Cerberus.

Something was obviously happening, and Vincent decided that it was not good, whatever it was.

There were too many heartless here, as well as stray memories, and even a few nobodies. Considering the only reason they came to this world was that Riku had a feeling Sora would show up here, there should have been far less heartless activity. _Maybe that is not all he sensed._ To top it all off, the Keyblade wielding boy he accompanied, aside from remaining blindfolded, now seemed to have gone mute as well.

Vincent fired several rounds into the stray memory that was coming at him. He could see Riku fighting another one with his Keyblade. It seemed the stray memories had different plans for the pair than they had for Sora. They still used the heartless and did their best to separate the two heroes, which they had succeeded in more often than not, but now they attacked mercilessly. The opponent Vincent had been battling finally vanished after taking too much damage, his eyes found Riku just as the boy dispersed the one he was fighting.

Riku did not speak as he and Vincent continued moving. He did not stop to recover between battles. He could not afford to waste any time or energy. Xehanort was getting strong… _too_ strong. Sora was nearing, Riku did not know how he could tell this, but somehow he knew. Obviously, there was also another threat here. He could _sense_ them, not as powerful or as saturated by the darkness as Maleficent or Akane, but potentially just as problematic, if the number of enemies they had encountered represented anything.

_Sora said Pete was stationed with Hades for a while last time. _

_**Even the two of them together will wear you out now. It is useless to resist. You are failing.**_

Riku did not risk responding to the voice that would not stop plaguing him now. There was a constant battle raging in his heart between himself and Xehanort.

_Maybe I should tell Vincent. If the worst happens, he could help…_

_**You are beyond help and he cannot defeat me. It is already over, child; you should stop this pointless resistance. It only serves to prolong your suffering.**_

* * *

They entered another cavern and came face-to-face with a gigantic canine that had three heads and darkness growing around it. Cerberus blocked the entrance to the trail that would lead them to Hades and his heartless-controlling associate. He scratched the ground, his sharp claws leaving a trail in the hard stone floor, and snarled at the new arrivals.

Without a word, Riku summoned Way to Dawn and Vincent drew Cerberus. The latter could not help but smirk at the irony that this beast would fall in part to a weapon that was its namesake.

Cerberus was the first to strike. Riku summoned a dark shield to block one head and lashed out at a second one with Way to Dawn. Meanwhile, Vincent fired into the third head before it could also snap at the Keyblade master.

As the huge beast reared back, Riku threw a few dark aura spells at it and Vincent continued to fire. Cerberus slashed one of his massive paws at Riku, who dodged just in time, causing the monster to send debris flying as his claws scrapped through the stonewall.

They continued to fight like this for a while before Vincent realized something. "We aren't doing the amount of damage that we should be. These are powerful weapons and spells; something's wrong."

"It's the Underworld; it takes your strength. Our weapons and spells are only as strong as we make them." Riku called out his answer before jumping over one of Cerberus' heads and bringing down Way to Dawn on the neck that attached to another one.

One could not call the head rolling across the ground a victory, as the other two heads were now focusing their attacks on the young Keyblade master with a newfound rage and doubled efforts. Riku summoned a dark shield just as one head attacked on his left; he stuck the other head as the shield shattered under another attack, which made contact with its target. Riku felt pain course through his back and abdomen, and felt a warm viscous substance flowing down his body. Then he sensed it.

Darkness. Not as heavy as he was now accustomed to, but coming just the same. He then realized that Vincent was not there anymore. In his place was something saturated by darkness, it breathed heavily and erratically, it's heartbeat was maddeningly quick, and it's footfalls sounded like a beast's that Riku had met once, long ago it seemed. The footfalls were coming closer, Riku could tell that this creature was nearly twice the size of Vincent, and that it was coming closer. He blocked another attack of large, sharp fangs, and could only hope that Vincent was still in control of himself in this state.

It seemed that he was, for Riku felt the air move as this form of Vincent leaped past him and latched onto Cerberus' back. Once again, the heads split their attention between the two threats. The first head twisted around in an attempt to remove the creature that was attacking its back with claws nearly comparable with Cerberus' own. The second head continued its attacks against Riku, who, while worse for ware, was certainly holding his own, despite the consequences of his lapse in concentration.

_**Can you feel it? The darkness still reaches out to you. How long do you think you can refuse it? It is a part of you now, and it always will be.**_

_I could just let this thing kill us, you know._

_**Nevertheless, you will not. You have never been one to give up so easily, and a small part of you is still clinging to the dwindling hope that you and your friend will find a way to return home to your little prison together. The part of you that has let go of such childish illusions realizes that you will never be free of me, or the darkness.**_

_If that is all that I have to look forward to, then maybe I should just let us die. I would prefer to take you out with me then allow you to continue in my place… to hurt them again. _

_**You truly are pathetic. You would give up what little hope you have. **_

_I would, but not yet. Not while he is so close._

For a moment, Chaos thought the boy had given up. He just stood there as Cerberus came at him. He could not determine what the boy was thinking by what little could be seen of face. Then, just as the head was about to make contact, the boy jumped higher than he should have been able to and twisted as he came down, sweeping his strange blade across the neck of the creature. The second head attacked him as the previous one fell lifeless to the floor. Chaos gathered the last of the dark power coursing through him and threw the energy at the beastly creature's chest. It cried out in pain and stumbled, allowing the boy to react.

Vincent felt his feet collide with the ground as he returned to his normal form. He saw Riku jump back to land beside him as the last head of Cerberus fell limply to the floor. There was a twitch of a dark limb, a glance of a crimson eye, a nod of a silvery head, and the body was riddled with bullets and spells. Then The Underworld no longer had a guardian.

* * *

Riku and Vincent ran through the caverns, fighting their way through throngs of heartless and stray memories as they did. Riku's energy replenished quickly, however his wounds were slow to heal, despite any spells he cast or potions that Vincent gave him. The pain in his chest was all he could feel now, the wounds he had received while fighting Cerberus felt distant, as did the sounds of Vincent's weapon firing at their enemies, and the feel of Way to Dawn in his hand as he slashed his way to Hades' lair.

_**You can feel it can you not. Your body is slipping into the darkness, it will take your heart with it, and then I will destroy you. Why fight when you cannot feel? Why delay the inevitable?**_

Riku tried to ignore the words that only he could hear. If he were to be honest with himself, he would have to admit that giving up sounded more appealing than continuing at this point. Fortunately, he had learned to fool himself very well by now.

_**The truth will always overshadow the lies in the end. You are becoming too weak to expect things like lies and hope to sustain you.**_

They reached the door, which was sealed by magic, just as the other doors had been. Before Riku could decide if he should enter or wait for Sora, whom he suspected was occupying the same world, Way to Dawn appeared in his hand. The Keyblade made the choice for him. He had to go on without his friend.

Vincent waited patently for a moment, thinking that Riku was resting a minute to regain some strength and energy before entering. Riku was actually thinking about what was to come. If it was only Hades in there, he would be fine; if it was Hades and Pete, he might make it; if Maleficent entered the confrontation, he would not.

He turned to where he surmised Vincent to be, using the sounds of his breathing and such as a guide. He had become very good at this. "I'm going to have to ask you for one more favour."

_**Your friends cannot help you now. If you can even call this man a friend, he does not know what he has agreed to become involved in… or whom he has agreed to assist.**_

Vincent recovered quickly from the surprise that had set in at having Riku both look right at his face, and speak after being silent for so long. "You never asked for any favours. You just respected my desire to follow King Mickey's request." If his words had any effect on the boy, he did not show it. "What is it you wanted to ask?"

"If I… _change_, in there, I want you to do everything possible to weaken me or destroy me."

There was no sign of fear or sadness in his request. The thing that Vincent noted was how much it sounded like a _final_ request. There were trace signs of remorse and defeat in the boy. _I should have questioned it when I had the chance._ Instead, he asked, "What do you mean, _if you change_?"

"If I become someone else. You'll understand when it happens." Riku lowered his head again and some of the strength left his voice. "I'm sorry to have to ask this, but I don't want Sora to have to… I don't know if he can face _him_ at full strength without me."

Two things struck Vincent then, that the boy had said _when_ instead of _if_, and that he was going to say something else regarding Sora. _He does not want his friend to feel responsible for his death._ He was beginning to think he understood why the king chose him to aid this Key Bearer; none of the others would accept this sacrifice... But Vincent could. "Alright, I'll do everything I can to protect Sora when he takes over."

"Thank you." Riku raised his Keyblade and unlocked the entrance. Then he heard the unmistakable voices of Pete and Hades, arguing about something, as they entered.

"I told you the stray memory wouldn't be enough, even one that powerful, you should have just brought him back from the dead, isn't that your deal anyway?"

"Look, Kitty, here's the 'deal' as you so eloquently put it; Stray memories only feel one thing. _One_, as in single, solo, that's it, nothing else. This stray memory was perfect, since it only felt the desire to get revenge on a couple of Key Bearers, ones that we wanted knocked off anyway. I bring the real deal back, and to get him to cooperate, we have to, you know, convince him, trick him, blackmail him, whatever, you get the picture. Anyway, it wouldn't matter if _somebody_ had just struck at the kid's heart while he was weakened, I mean, what is Xehanort waiting for?"

"That kid's heart is stronger than we thought. He's beaten the darkness, Maleficent, and that powerful heartless, Ansem. Maybe Xehanort couldn't beat him; his heart wasn't fully regenerated yet. That's why we should go for it again now, so that Xehanort can strike the kid when he's got the upper hand."

"Hey, if Xehanort is as powerful as Her Creepiness says, then we don't need Akane for that now. All we gotta do is wait for the stray memories to bring us that other key bearing brat. Once we have his little friend-"

Riku did not need to hear anything else. If they were going after Sora, then they were going to have to go through Riku to do it. Without a word, he stormed into the room and cast a dark aura at Hades before either enemy had a chance register that he was there. Vincent wasted no time in supporting Riku once he realized what the boy was doing. He ran in after the Keyblade Master and saw that Riku had already called Way to Dawn, Pete was trying to look threatening and back up at the same time, and Hades was just getting up from the hit he had taken.

Then it happened… To the others in the room, Riku simply fell to his knees, one hand clutching his chest, the other pressing Way to Dawn against the cold stone floor, holding him up. Then he started to change. It was like watching two people who somehow were occupying the exact same space, and in a way, that _is_ what they were seeing. One second there was a pained teen wearing a blindfold, with silver tresses cascading over his pale face and shoulders. The next, there was a strong man with amber eyes, heavily tanned skin, and silver hair swept behind his back. The image shifted back and forth at a nauseating rate.

"I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to be around when these two finally settle this." With those words, Hades vanished in a flash of blue flames. Pete turned and ran out of the room. A small commotion could be heard in the distance outside.

Vincent was certain that he knew the cause of that commotion; he was torn between waiting to see if he had to finish off the dejected boy before him, and coming to the aid of the friend who may still be able to save him. For a few seconds, the body before him held onto a single form... the form of a boy who was struggling to remain whole. A solitary word was choked out of this form, "…Sora…", Then the battle for the body that those two hearts fought over continued, but Vincent did not stay to watch.

Riku had chosen Sora…

* * *

It happened so suddenly that Riku was not sure what had occurred for a moment. He had been closing in on Pete and Hades when an unbearable pain took him. He had fallen to his knees, and stood up straight away, but he was no longer in the cavern with those pitiful enemies, he was not in the Underworld at all...or any other world in the realm of light… He was in darkness.

Instinct saved him from the first swing. He dodged the offending Keyblade and counter attacked without processing what he was doing. However, he knew whom he was fighting… he had been battling him for around a couple of years now. Soon it would finally be over, and right now, that was all that he wanted.

He blocked another blow with Way to Dawn, and struck Xehanort in the face, then the abdomen. Xehanort staggered back, and dodged a swing from Riku's Keyblade. Then he caught the next one with his own Keyblade, and kicked Riku back, before striking the boy again.

They battled like this for what felt like ages. Everything was like that in the darkness… If you did one thing long enough, you could not tell if you had been doing it for hours, days, years, or longer.

Way to Dawn met Amber and Ebony over and over, both opponents fought with everything they had.

…block…counter…sidestep…lunge…blood…dodge…swing…pain…dive…strike…cast…thrust…hurt…reverse…shield…attack…ache…spurn…jump back…

Riku was swaying a little as he stood now, he could hear a steady drip that he did not want to identify. There was something unmistakably predatory about the way Xehanort watched him.

_**Riku, hold on just a little longer.**_

Suddenly, Riku felt as if he had stepped into a fog in the darkness. Through the haze, he could almost hear another fight in the distance.

_…Sora…_

As abruptly as it came, the haze vanished, and Riku was caught off guard by the subsequent attack. It had been painfully obvious throughout the battle that Xehanort was the stronger of the two opponents. Now, with a loud crack that sent an explosion of pain through his head and heart simultaneously, Riku felt the darkness wash over him.

And he knew the tide had turned…

Xehanort was no longer a dark presence trapped in Riku's heart…

Riku was now a solitary ember of light trapped in the darkness that was Xehanort's heart.

* * *

…pain…sorrow…a familiar presence…and a growing threat that no one noticed…

_**No! Riku!**_

A new war was going to wage…

Riku no longer cared if he won, as long as Xehanort and Maleficent lost…and Sora survived.

_I'm sorry, Sora…for everything._

_**Riku…**_

_I have to end this._


	19. Eternal Session

Chapter 19: Eternal Session.

"Actually, I think I have some unfinished business here as well."

Sora froze; he thought time itself had stopped.

The voice had sounded very familiar. For a moment, it did sound something like Riku, but that faded after the first few words. The remaining voice was equally familiar, but certainly not as welcomed. It was colder and more emotionless then either of its owner's counterparts had sounded. He slowly turned his head to look at the source of that voice.

The man that was approaching looked so similar to Ansem, Xemnas, and the portrait of Xehanort he saw in the real Ansem the Wise's study; but he was not any of those beings. He walked with poise, even in the heavy ebony armour that he wore. His amber eyes flicked predatorily between Sora, Pete, and the stray memories like a tiger deciding which of his prey he would attack first. He held a large black Keyblade adorned with amber spikes that Sora had not seen before. His cloak and long silvery hair flowed out behind him like the wings of a very large bird of prey. He radiated power and ruthlessness.

This was the type of person that struck dread into the hearts of others. It was easy to believe that two of the worlds' most dangerous threats had spawned from this man. It was also very easy to accept that this man would betray the Master of the Keyblades, who had also been his friend.

However, none of those facts were responsible for the feelings of terror, sorrow, and anger that were rising in Sora. He was feeling this way because for this man to exist in this form, then that would mean…

_No! Riku!_

Sora turned to face Xehanort and held The Watcher level with the man's chest. "Where's Riku? Give him back his heart!"

Xehanort chuckled callously and held his Keyblade at Pete, who had been about to run. He turned his eyes to Sora, "Foolish child, it is Riku's _body_ that I posses. What would I want with his heart? It is merely a dying ember that I must snuff out before it burns me." He turned his amber eyes onto Pete, "Well, if it isn't one of the co-conspirators. I would say that I am in debited to you and your Mistress, but I do believe that the situation does not merit it."

Before Pete could respond, Xehanort thrust the unknown Keyblade into him. Pete and Sora's eyes grew wide in fear and shock. Xehanort stepped forward and spoke grimly to Pete, "I trust your Mistress will get the message." He had already raised his other hand out, behind Pete, and opened a dark portal there. Without another word, he kicked Pete off his blade and through the newly formed entrance. Xehanort was already attacking one of the stray memories as the portal closed.

Sora came out of his stupor when the other stray memory attacked him. He could hear Donald shouting angrily somewhere far behind him as he battled. He caught glimpses of Xehanort as they fought the ghostly threats. Xehanort fought will the skill of swordsmen like Riku and Sephiroth, the cool indifference of warriors like Auron and Leon, and the fury of fighters like Cloud and Saïx, but with a brutal accuracy all of his own. Sora wondered if they had all fought like that during the time before the Keyblade War changed everything for the Key Bearers.

When Sora finally conquered the transparent foe, he found that Xehanort was watching him, having clearly defeated his own opponent sometime before. Sora stood ready for a fight he was not sure he could win. Xehanort raised his weapon, "I will make this quick." He took one step forward, before growling and gripping his chest with his free hand. He muttered something angrily; Sora thought he heard the word 'impossible'.

_**I'm sorry, Sora…for everything.**_

Once more, everything seemed to stop as far as Sora was concerned. Riku's heart had spoken to him again. He needed to work out what this meant. Xehanort was here, but he had said something about Riku's heart and dying embers.

_Riku…_

After a moment where the two Key Bearers stood glaring at each other, Xehanort released his Keyblade. "He never was one to be taken lightly," he said, to himself it seemed, and then regarded Sora coldly, "it would seem that the last embers of our friend's heart, fragile though they may be, might ignite should I attempt to harm you, so you are safe from me… for the time being. Soon, I shall destroy the pitiful remnants of the Keyblade Master, and then I shall not hesitate to crush you, should you attempt to stand in my way. Hope that our paths do not cross gain soon." He raised his hand to open another portal, but Sora stepped forward and fixed The Watcher on the ancient warrior.

"And what makes you think I'm going to step aside and watch you leave now?" Sora had never spoken so harshly in his life. He was not sure what he could do, but he could not just let this man destroy whatever was left of Riku.

Xehanort lowered his hand, and grinned evilly before taking a step closer to Sora, his voice was venom as he responded. "You will because you are naïve… and because you cannot defeat me and take me _alive_. Should you attempt to stop me, the only way you shall survive is to kill me while your friend holds me back. Even so, the odds are against your victory, but let us assume you accomplish this. Yes, you will have killed me, but you will also have murdered all that remains of your dear friend Riku." He paused a moment to watch his words take effect on the boy…

_**I have to end this.**_

…then Xehanort stepped through, and the portal closed behind him.

Sora knew that he had collapsed to his knees and that tears were forming in his eyes. He knew that his friends had finally reached him and were speaking to him. He knew there was much to do, and his friends would need him if they were going to save the worlds. However, right now, he did not care about any of that, because he was finally lining the pieces up…

* * *

…Acceptance…Riku acknowledged his fate.

"I've always pushed you, as you've always pushed me."

"Giving up already? Come on, Sora. I thought you were stronger than that."

"I didn't wont to be found, not like this…I couldn't." "But it was Riku that's been helping us…all those clues we kept finding, that must have been Riku." "I was starting to worry that you were never going to catch on, Sora never did pick the brightest friends."

…Support…Riku would give his all to support Sora throughout their journeys.

"This world is perfect for me; if this is what the world is, just this, then maybe I should fade back into darkness. If everything is made of light and darkness, then we'll be the darkness"

"Truth is, I was always jealous of you…I wished I could live the way you do; just following my heart."

…Contentment…Riku was comfortable to live in the darkness or in anguish if it meant his friends would be all right.

…Self-reproach…Riku took all the blame, even if it was not his fault at all, or if he had more than redeemed himself.

"Just one. Sora, I'm sorry"

…Remorse…One mistake, and the guilt of it would condemn him forever.

_"One heart will not survive this. Soon a decision will have to be made, and we both know what will happen in the end." Maleficent smiled. "Indeed you are strong. Xehanort will have quite the challenge in destroying your heart."_

…Choices…Riku had made his decision.

…Strength…Riku was more powerful than their enemies believed.

_"Did The King say anything at all about Riku or Xehanort?" "Well, he said sumthin' about Riku knowing what to do and that we would have to trust in the strength of his heart and your guys' friendship." Goofy stated. "He said that Riku __**would **__know what to do." Donald corrected. "And that it was silly of him to think that he could find out more about it then Riku could, seeing as how Riku can access Xehanort's memories now." Goofy added. "And since Riku's- Well, you see Sora, The King made us promise not to tell you some things. He said that Riku would want it that way and that Riku ought to be the one to tell ya anyhow." _

…Deception…Riku had been tricked into this from the very beginning.

…Resolve…Riku was resolute to do whatever was necessary to save his friends.

…Vulnerability…Riku had never seemed so frail before.

"They are very different, but still very much the same. They fit together perfectly and compliment each other well, for neither is complete without the other. They are a part of each other. This is why your existences have always resonated with each others."

"I said 'my friends are my strength' and you're my best friend, which means you're my greatest strength right?"

Riku wore a small, fond smile as he slowly shook his head. "You never were that quick to catch on."

…Love…Riku's devotion never wavered.

"Why do you always have to do so much on your own?" "Because I won't risk taking you into darkness with me. Part of Xehanort's heart is inside mine. And he's getting stronger. Soon he'll be…like he was before."

"Axel was trying to kidnap her so that he could use her to get you. Not that I can really blame him." "What do you mean by that?" "He wanted to bring Roxas back, just like I wanted to bring you back."

…Sacrifice…Riku would willingly forfeit his life or his freedom to end this battle.

Riku…it all came down to him…but if they were two halves of the same whole, then neither would ever truly stand alone…

* * *

Sora felt someone lift him off the ground by his shoulders; he looked up and saw Auron's face staring down at him. Sora shook his head slowly, "I can't save him… I've never been able to save him…" His voice was distant, "He either has to live with that monster in his heart, and suffer for the rest of his life, or die along with him. He wants it to be over… He wants…"

"He wants you to be safe," said the crimson-eyed man that had arrived with Riku. "My name is Vincent Valentine. I found Riku in Traverse Town. Your king asked me to watch him, and now _he_ asked me to watch you. First, he asked me to destroy him, or to at least make sure that he could not destroy you, after he knew _this_ (Vincent gestured to the spot where Xehanort had last stood) could not be prevented. When he was transforming and I was deciding what to do, Riku appeared for a moment, I do not know where he found the strength for that, but he made the decision for me. He chose you."

Auron released Sora and stepped back, "He always has. Now it is your turn to make a choice. Remember, this is _your_ story."

"No, it's _our_ story! Mine _and_ Riku's, we started this together and we're going to finish it together… no matter what ." Sora was breathing heavier than he should have. _It can't end like that. Riku… It's not over yet…it can't be…_  
Distantly, he heard his friends' exclamations of concern, and felt someone catch him as everything went dark…

_**We will go together…**_


	20. Internal Cession

Chapter 20: Internal Cession.

Sora walked along a lengthy stretch of road. He could smell the moist grass that flanked it on either side, and see the stars twinkling overhead. Even with the moon at its fullest, they shone brightly.

_Am I dreaming?_

He could make out a crossroad up ahead, where the path he was currently on met three others.

_This place looks so familiar._

A figure was standing at the crossroads, as if waiting for someone. As Sora approached, he could tell that the figure had their back turned to him. Getting closer still, he could tell that the person was a boy. He was wearing pants of a soft leather, and boots that came nearly halfway up his calves, along with a sleeveless shirt that tied up with small leather cords at several points, as if to make certain that it moved with the wearer. He also wore what looked like a quarter sleeve that covered his left forearm down to his hand. All were black.

The boy, who was slightly taller and a little more muscular than Sora, had a slender build, fair skin, and long silvery hair that caught in the breeze, with two thin strands of black cloth moving within the hair, apparently tied around the boy's head.

"This place has changed since the last time we were here together… I'm glad for that…" The boy's voice was a soft baritone that sounded subdued, but very familiar.

"Riku?" Sora could not believe it. This had to be Riku, but at the same time, something was off.

The boy turned, and moved closer to Sora. As he did this, Sora could swear he was watching two people at once, _**his**_ Riku, and another version of his best friend. One boy was wearing Riku's usual jeans, sneakers, zip front shirt, and moving with a habitual fluidity; the other in the strange clothing and moving a little more gracefully than Riku would normally allow himself to. Both, however, wore a dark blindfold. He stopped walking while still a little more than an arms length from Sora. When he stopped moving, all traces of Sora's Riku disappeared into the other one.

Sora wasn't sure how he should react, however, something inside him was screaming that this is Riku. "Riku, what's going on?" _It can't hurt to ask… I hope._

The boy who appeared to be Riku answered in a calm, soothing voice. "Maleficent used old magic to bring Orethan back. As such, she did not realize it would awaken more than just _his_ dormant heart."

Far from having his confusion alleviated, Sora asked, "What do you mean? And who's Orethan?"

"You would know him as Xehanort now. What I mean is that she also woke me." Seeing that Sora was still confused, the Riku-person sighed and turned his head away.

When he turned back, Sora found himself looking at his best friend. "Part of my heart, the part that was just the _true master of the Keyblades_, was also dormant. It started awakening while I was fighting to keep Xehanort from taking over again, so I didn't realize what was happening… until I had a dream that was my own memory, and not one of his."

Dreading the answer, Sora asked, "What happens when it wakes up completely?"

The 'other' Riku answered, "My heart will be whole. I will become a part of Riku."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know," Answered _**his**_ Riku, "but we can't worry about that right now. Maleficent is trying to bring Akane back as well. Not just a memory, the _real_ Akane, and he is much more powerful. He'll want revenge against Xehanort; for himself, and for me."

"He wants to avenge you? What for? I mean…why?"

The Keyblade Master answered, "Because I was betrayed… by _all_ of you, but he blames Orethan."

"What?!" Sora exclaimed, wondering what his past self had done to betray his best friend. "What are you talking about?"

His face was turned, if he could see Sora through the blindfold, then he wasn't looking at him. It sounded as if he were lost in the memory. "It was my own fault really… There was only supposed to be one chosen wielder at a time. As well as the one true master who was it's keeper, and that, was me. Both were, actually. I changed that, and for a long time, it seemed like a good thing." He had sounded morose when he began, but suddenly a small smile touched his features and he turned his face to Sora's as he continued.

"You were the first I shared it with, of course. I was good. I always knew what had to be done, and I always did it. Then I would leave whichever world I had just saved to continue on without me. You, however…? You meddled. You came in, smiling as always, and even if you could not do as much as I could, you would give the people more hope than any of my deeds alone would. You made friends everywhere. The worlds just seemed to open their hearts. There did not seem to be anything we could not handle together. It should have stayed just like that, but it didn't." The faint smile faded away.

"To make a long story short and I must, because time is running short for me… I just hope the same is not true for the worlds... Anyway, as I said, I was betrayed. Orethan set a trap and somehow convinced you and Akane to help. I will not pretend to understand, but obviously, it did not go the way _any_ of us planned, and I do believe that each of us had different plans in mind. As it was, a harsh battle ensued, Orethan killed Akane, then I killed him, but I could not fight you… and you did not attack me either. Nevertheless, nothing could go back to the way it was before the war. At least, not in our lifetimes. Hence, Kingdom Hearts took us, and kept us away until things could be the way they once were… the way it always should have been."

He wore that slight smile again. "It's strange, even though you had darkness in your heart, and I had none in mine, you were taken into the realm of light and I was taken into the realm of darkness. Maybe it was simply to balance us off, let us soak in a little of the other side, but I think it was also to remind us of the other. So that when we met again, we would feel at home."

In the blink of an eye, Sora found his best friend standing before him again, with that same slight smile gracing his features. Riku finished the explanation, "That's how I've always felt when I'm with you: at home. Anyway, any bitterness that I might have felt against you dissolved when I saw you fighting to reach me while the darkness and the light separated us. So here we are, thousands of years later; we're alive again, the best of friends again, and once again, when the darkness took me, you fought for me. Now I need you to fight for me again just one more time, and then, I need you to let me go…"

* * *

King Mickey found himself walking along a strange road; someone was waiting up ahead… someone very familiar…

"Riku!" Mickey ran toward his young friend, but skidded to a stop before reaching him.  
Something was wrong. This boy had to be Riku, but at the same time, he could not be. "Riku? What's happened to you?"

The blindfolded boy regarded Mickey politely, but with no real signs of emotion. "Nothing that you can help anymore. Let me begin by explaining that you will not be dealing with the Riku that you know tonight. He has other matters to attend to."

Mickey looked at the boy before him with growing concern. "Then… you must be the original Master of the Keyblades."

"That's right. Now, Riku, despite his better judgment, allowed you the ability to wield a Keyblade. Do you know why he did that?" The Master of the Keyblades raised a hand to interrupt Mickey before he could respond. His tone and gestures were not angry or harsh, nor were they friendly or inviting.

Obviously, this boy had to grow up too quickly. He was a leader, who was used to making difficult decisions and having his orders followed.

Mickey could only watch and listen… and feel sorry for this boy… for Riku. _I shouldn't have left._

The boy continued speaking. "I'll tell you why. It was not so that you could vanish and leave Sora to face numerous enemies on his own… or with companions that you chose for him and random friends that he made throughout his journeys. It was so that you could assist and defend Sora. Now I need you to do _just that. Riku_ needs you to do that."

His demeanour softened, and Mickey could swear he sounded like the real Riku now, "There's going to be another battle between the Key Bearers and I won't be there to protect him this time. He cannot face Akane and Orethan on his own. Go to him, and stay with him until this over."

Something about the way he said that last part caused a feeling of dread to rise in the small king. "What's going to happen to Riku?"

Whomever it was that answered sounded distant now. "Don't concern yourself with that. He has made his decision. As a wielder, you should abide by it." The boy seemed to hesitate for a moment before adding, "I'm sorry, but things are going to change after this. Everything will become the way it should have been. Who becomes my replacement as Master will be determined."

Then suddenly, he was looking at Riku. "You've been a good friend, Mickey. Please look out for Sora for me. And Mickey… I'm sorry… for what has to happen..."

* * *

"Sora!"

The named boy groaned, and turned over in the bed he was lying in. _Where am I?_ He heard a calm female voice chiding someone about letting him rest. "Aerith…? Kairi…?"

"Hey, he's awake!"

"Yuffie?" Sora opened his eyes, turned, and sat up. Sure enough, there were the three mentioned females smiling and staring at him.

"Hey, you really had us worried for a while," said Yuffie, as she looked at him accusingly with one hand on her hip and the other pointing at Sora threateningly.

"Yeah, the other guys said you just fainted, but then you wouldn't wake up, you lazy bum." added Kairi in a mock scolding tone, as she mimicked Yuffie's stance.

Aerith smiled and stepped forward, "How are you feeling?"

Sora stood and stretched a little. Physically, he felt better then ever, but he was still sad and confused. "Alright, I guess. Where are Donald, Goofy, and Vincent? I have to talk to them. I just saw Riku…"

"Sora, you were dreaming. Riku wasn't just here," said Kairi in a soothing voice. Aerith looked thoughtful, and Yuffie started heading for the door.

"I'm going to get the guys, they'll want to know that Sora's up," she said, and then took off running once she was outside the small house.

Sora turned his attention back to the other two women, "I know Riku wasn't actually here Kairi, but I _was_ just talking with him."

"Sora, you were _dreaming_. Riku couldn't have been talking to you. He's… gone." Kairi started out sounding forceful, but ended in a concerned whisper.

Aerith turned to Kairi, "If the last couple years have taught me anything, it's never to underestimate the heart, especially Sora's and Riku's," she stated calmly.

Kairi seemed to mull this over for a moment, then she smiled at her, "You're right. They are the Keyblade's chosen wielders for a reason."

She turned back to Sora, who was still looking a little agitated at her refusal to believe him. "If you say you were with Riku, then we believe you," she said with a smile.

Sora smiled in return, "Thanks."

Yuffie returned with Leon, Vincent, Cid, Goofy, and Donald in tow. The little house became cramped with everybody in there, but they were all just pleased to see that Sora was all right.

"Riku talked to Sora while he was sleeping," Kairi said with a small smile.

"You mean, like in a dream?" Yuffie asked with her head tilted curiously.

"No, it was really him," Sora insisted. "He's talked to me before without actually talking, but he was always near me in some form or another."

"Your hearts are connected," Leon stated, as if it were a well-known fact. "Riku's heart is communicating with yours."

Sora looked down and touched his chest, as if letting the concept sink in. Then he turned to Donald and Goofy, "Riku has a plan, I don't know all of it, but he needs all of the Key Bearers together. First, I have to meet up with The King, and then we have to find Riku and Xehanort. Will you guys help me?"

"Gosh Sora, do you really think you have to ask?" Goofy said while Donald gave Sora an irritated look.

"Yeah, you big palooka. Of course we're going with you."

"One for all, and all for one, remember?" Goofy said as he held out his hand, Donald placed his on top of Goof's, and then Sora put his on top of their joined hands. All three smiled and nodded. Yuffie and Kairi giggled, Aerith smiled, Cid and Leon shook their heads slowly and chucked, Vincent just watched with an unreadable expression.

"I'll go with you as well," Vincent stated calmly. "I told Riku I would do everything I could to protect you when Xehanort took over."

Sora turned to the crimson-eyed man, "All right, if that's what Riku wanted, but he said this started with the Key Bearers, and it has to end with them." Vincent nodded his understanding.

Kairi turned to her friend. "Well if you need any more help, you know that we're here for you, right, Sora?"

"I know," Sora smiled, "Thanks."

"Any idea where you're going to start looking for The King?" asked Yuffie.

"Riku said we both needed to go to Twilight Town, and then The World That Never Was. That's where Maleficent is, and Akane will be there too somehow. Xehanort and Akane have an old score to settle… I think we all do. I don't know, but if Riku says we have to do this, then I'm doing it." Sora grinned at them, "He is the Master of the Keyblades, after all."

Sora's smile faded, "Riku also said something about letting him go, after one last fight. And Xehanort said that if I kill him, I'll be killing Riku too… but maybe The King found a way to destroy Xehanort without trapping him into Riku forever… or worse."

"Well, then let's go to Twilight Town. King Mickey, Merlin, and Master Yen Sid are there. If there's a way to help out Riku, one of them will know," Goofy smiled encouragingly.

"Be careful Sora, Don't rush in without thinking," warned Leon.

"And don't forget to ask for help if you need it," added Cid.

"Show us how it's done, Keyblade wielder," said Yuffie with a smile.

"Hey, cheer up guys," Sora tried to sound more positive then he felt. "We're talking two ancient psychos against me, Riku, Goofy, Donald, Vincent, and The King. They don't stand a chance. Besides, the last time they got together, Akane and Xehanort turned on each other."

"Good luck," said Aerith.

With a few waves, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Vincent left the small house. They paused before leaving the borough, when someone called out Sora's name.

Sora turned to see Kairi jogging after them. She stopped a few feet in front of him. "You and Riku are going to come back soon this time, aren't you?"

"I don't know Kairi," Sora rubbed the back of his neck and did not meet her eyes. "Riku sounded like he didn't think he would. I can't return without him, Kairi… I just… I can't."

"I understand," Kairi's small smile broadened and she took on a teasing tone, "but Sora, when has anyone ever beaten Riku?" He looked at her and smiled, and then she became serious again. "Just be careful, okay?"

"I will."


	21. Sine die

Chapter 21: Sine die

Sora's spirits were deteriorating as he and his companions left Master Yen Sid's tower. All that Yen Sid had to say on the subject was to follow his previous advice, to believe in Riku, and to trust the wisdom of the Master, '_then everything will become as it should_'.

Sora did not say anything since they exited his study, and now they were nearly at Twilight Town.

"Aw, cheer up, Sora," said Goofy in a highly optimistic voice. "He didn't say there was nothing we could do. It sounded like we're already doing what we're supposed to."

"But he didn't say that we could save Riku either," Sora's shoulders slumped. "I don't know what 'everything turning out as it should' means." _He said there was only supposed to be one._

* * *

They arrived in what use to be a garden in front of the old mansion. The front room looked decrepit as always, which kept most of the town's occupants from entering. At the top of the stairs, Sora once again found his attention drawn to the room that Naminè had made her own. He turned and stared heading for the white room.

"Sora, where are you going?" asked Donald. He and Goofy stopped walking, and Vincent was already following Sora.

"I just want to see something. It'll only take a minute," Sora answered over his shoulder just before he entered the room. It looked exactly as he remembered it; with blinding white walls, floor, and furniture, and white sheets of paper covered in colourful sketches strewn everywhere.

He slowly walked around the room, looking at the drawings of past events that the artist should not have known anything about. A particular drawing always caught his attention. He remembered everything from the drawings that featured him, except for this one.

He was in the chamber that he had slept in for a year. Riku was standing beside it, Keyblade in hand, and still wearing the strange suit that he received when Xehanort's heartless first fought to take over his form. Sora picked up the drawing and stared at it. Ever since Riku had appeared in his dream, Sora had the distinct feeling that he was forgetting something, and it seemed important to him.

"Whoa, whoa, time out! When did I ever do that?"

"Hmph, you probably forgot. It never mattered to you how I felt!"

He doubted the sketch had anything to do with the current situation, but the only other time he remembered feeling this way is when he had first seen this drawing. It had been fleeting, only bothering him when he saw or thought about the sketch. The feeling from the dream was constant. He sighed, and was about to put the drawing down when he started feeling something tugging at the back of his mind.

"Keep your lock. I'd rather finish off Ansem once and for all."  
"What if the darkness he wields is stronger than both of you?"  
"Then I'll make the darkness show me the way."

"Take care of him."  
"I think you already have that covered, Riku…"

Sora felt that same tugging in the back of his mind, only this one seemed to pull him further, until he was looking into another room. It was as familiar and as foreign as the sketch he had been staring at a moment ago. The stone walls and floor; the heavy beams on the ceiling; the worn chairs, table, and trunk; the cosy bed pushed into the corner; the little potbelly stove radiating warmth… It seemed like he had seen them all a thousand times, but he had no recollection of ever being in this room before.

The heavy wooden door opened, and Sora's breath caught as Riku entered, followed by Sora himself. They both seemed different, but were undeniably them. Riku clothes and way of moving were the same as the master that Sora had seen in his dream earlier. The Sora that followed him was wearing a brown blouse under what looked like a blue tunic, brown pants, and brown boots. He also lacked the easygoing manner that Sora had in abundance.

"I already made the mistake of trusting them once. I am not going to make that mistake again," said Riku as he sat in one of the worn chairs.

The Sora that matched him sat in the other chair and turned it to sit facing Riku. "First of all, you _never_ trusted them. I wanted you to-"

"It was still my decision. I chose poorly," Riku stared straight into Sora's eyes, silently refusing to share the blame.

Sora rolled his eyes and released an exasperated sigh. Clearly, this was not the first time they had this discussion. "Anyway, it will just be Akane there. He's…not like Orethan, we can talk to him. Even if he tries to fight, it will be him against both of us. He's an incredible fighter, but no one can beat both of us together."

_I'm not telling him something. What would I keep from Riku? I can tell him anything._

Riku's eyes shifted slightly as he looked into Sora's, and something seemed to dim in their aqua depths. "I just, have a bad feeling about this. I don't trust him." His voice was softer than it had been a moment ago.

_He knows. He has always been able to tell when I'm trying to keep something from him._

"Just trust _me_ then. Akane seemed completely sincere when he contacted me about this. Everything will work out fine, you'll see." His smile was broad, but his eyes did not light up the way they should have.

Riku lowered and turned his head, to the Sora sitting across from him, it looked like he was just thinking hard. The Sora who was watching could see Riku's face. He certainly was thinking, but there was more moisture in his eyes then there should be, and his expression looked empty.

_He noticed that too. He's afraid to ask, afraid to follow his heart. He always has been._

Riku took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them, the unshed tears had stilled and he looked resigned. He met his Sora's eyes again, "I trust you. Where do we meet?"

The Sora sitting beside him looked both relieved and anxious, but his voice remained positive and confident when he answered, "At The Four Corners."

_What was I thinking? What did I do?_

Riku nodded, obviously he knew of this place already. "Maybe we should tell master McKiye, in case we don't come back. Someone should know what happened."

"Riku," said Sora in a stymieing tone. "Of course we're going to come back, besides master McKiye will meddle, he always does."

"So do you," Riku responded in an unclear tone, "But alright, we'll keep it just between us. I would prefer this to affect the worlds as little as possible anyway."

"Alright, then I'll meet you there as well." The other Sora stood and began walking towards the door, "And try not to worry about me too much. I _can_ take care of myself."

"Sora?" said Riku softly just as his friend reached the door, causing him to pause on his way out. "I've always considered myself very fortunate…to have you as a friend. Please…just, be careful, alright?"

Sora was not sure if his past self understood a deeper meaning to those words or if the unusual show of emotion in the other boy's face and voice simply caught him off guard, but he could see the conflict in his own eyes. He would bet good munny that Riku saw it too. After a moment where he seemed unable to find words, the Sora of the past, whom now had extra moisture in _his_ eyes, smiled weakly, nodded once, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Sora found himself standing in the too-white room again, staring at the drawing that he still clutched in his hands. He thought he could still hear the unsteady breathing of someone unmistakably crying silently to himself. Someone Sora thought would never cry… Let alone because of something that _he_ had done.

"Sora, Are you alright?" Sora turned his head and found Vincent watching him with a concerned expression.

"I'm alright. I think…I just remembered some stuff, from a long time ago." Sora rolled up the sketch and put it in one of his oversized pockets. "Vincent, have you ever done something that you thought was the right thing at the time, but it ended up hurting someone very important to you?"

"Yes, unfortunately, I have," answered the crimson-eyed man with a steady voice.

"How do I make everything right?" asked Sora.

"Sometimes you simply can't," Vincent replied calmly. "Rarely can such things be mended by one person alone. Just learn from it, and do not make the same mistake again."

Sora looked nervous, "If I remember now, then do you think Riku does too?"

"Most likely."

Sora's shoulders drooped slightly, "I hope he'll forgive me."

"I don't think you need to worry about that," Vincent answered knowingly. "Riku understands what it means to make difficult decisions, and to make wrong ones… especially when meaning well. I doubt he would be able to stay angry at you for long in any case."

Sora turned to the door with a determined expression, "Well, we have to save Riku before we can do anything about it, right? So lets go, maybe The King is already here."

* * *

They entered the computer room of the mansion, Merlin's books and devices were still occupying most of the room.

"Sora!" cried the unmistakable voice of King Mickey as he entered.

"Your majesty!" Goofy and Donald simultaneously exclaimed.

King Mickey and Merlin were standing together near the apparatus that had brought them into The World That Never Was. "We've been expecting you," said Merlin conversationally.

"Riku told me to come here," Sora said as he looked down at the tiny king. "It was in a dream, sort of. The Master of the Keyblades was there too. Do you have any idea what we need to do?"

"We have to follow the Keyblade Master," answered Mickey. "He talked to me too. He definitely has a plan, but he wouldn't tell me everything. Riku appeared for only a moment, but he seemed sad, and he said he was sorry."

"Did he say what he was sorry for?" Sora wore a concerned expression. King Mickey shook his head sadly. Donald and Goofy exchanged worried looks.

Merlin smiled at the lot, "you needn't worry so. What will happen, will happen. It sounds as though Riku has everything under control, now all you need to do is trust him. Everything will work out fine, you'll see."

"You really think so?" Sora turned hopeful eyes to the old wizard.

"You forget; I happen to be the world's most powerful wizard. I know everything."

"Uh, uh, uh…everything, Merlin?" asked the supercilious voice of Archimedes, as the brown owl climbed out of his small round house and then flew down to land and perch on Merlin's crooked hat.

"Well, maybe not everything, I admit I do not know what Riku has in mind," said the old wizard with a reproachful glance up at Archimedes before returning his attention to Sora. "However, I do know that the boy has strength in him, and if he has gained the knowledge of the Master of the Keyblades, then the worlds are in very capable hands."

Sora nodded slowly. He did not like the idea of following a plan that might include Riku's demise or the imprisonment of Xeahanort in his heart forever, but it seemed to come down to whether or not he trusted Riku. He did, without a doubt, so he would follow. "Alright, then let's go."

The Gulwings opened the portal, and soon Sora, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Vincent found themselves in a familiar dark alley.

* * *

The large skyscraper in the centre of the square caused two memories to rush to the surface when Sora looked at it. One he remembered clearly, running up the side of the building, Keyblade in hand, Xemnas jumping off the top and then duelling as they met in the air.

The second, he could not place. He was again running up the side of the building, this time wielding two Keyblades. Riku was standing on the top of the building before diving off, smoothly catching the Keyblade that Sora threw at him, and falling past him gracefully before they both landed and battled the surrounding heartless.

Blinking past these strange memories, Sora saw the castle that hovered over the city. It looked much as it did before, but had an eerie green light glowing near the top that was the unmistakable sign of Maleficent's presence. The castle, as well as the city, also seemed darker somehow.

The group of heroes did not make it very far before heartless starting pouring out everywhere. Sora summoned The Watcher, and then felt his magic gather around him, as well as an energy that felt distinctly like Goofy and one that felt like Donald. His clothes took on a golden yellow hue, and Oblivion appeared in his other hand. Sora was glad that he had decided to wear his 'fairy clothes' as Riku called them (much to his dismay), while he fought with the two Keyblades. King Mickey fought with his own Keyblade and Vincent used a clawed gauntlet that looked somewhat familiar to Sora, and a strange gun to impressive results.

The small group of heroes battled their way through throng after throng of heartless, slowly working their way to the castle, where a greater confrontation no doubt awaited them.


	22. Ibidem

Chapter 22: Ibidem

Riku felt as though he was in several places at once and, in fact, he truly was. He also had a battle to fight in each of those places. In the darkness, he fought for his heart. In his heart, he fought for his mind. In his mind, he fought for his very being.

His body happened to be fighting a battle of its own, as Xehanort or Orethan, whoever it was -Riku no longer cared about names, they all had to die anyway-, fought his way through the castle to find Maleficent, and more importantly, Akane.

After that, he would go after Sora, but Riku had a different plan in mind. If his friends did as he asked, then soon it would be over. He only hoped they could forgive him for what he did not say. _It has to be done, they will understand, and if they do not, at least they will be alive._

The battle for his heart was the most difficult, as the darkness presented no visual threat for him to lash out against. It worked slowly and subtlety, but he had fought that battle before, and he had won. This time, he just needed to hold out long enough. After that, he did not care anymore.

The battle for his mind was the least difficult, although not easy by any means, but was by far the most confusing battle he ever had. The Keyblade Master fought very much like Riku, and he found that he learned the Master's unique moves quickly. It was similar to fighting the Riku replica in Castle Oblivion. Riku knew that the Master was a part of him, but he did not intend to let him take over.

The battle for his being was familiar, as it should have been, but it was as though he was on the other side of the line. It took most of his focus not to be crushed by the weight of Xehanort's heart, which seemed to push at him from every direction. However, Xehanort seemed to lose focus as he battled external foes, which gave Riku an opportunity to attack his living prison.

So it was that, as Riku strained to remain whole, Xehanort battled to reach the top of the castle and Akane fought to exact his revenge on them both. Meanwhile, Sora and his friends reached the lowest level of the castle, and an evil and powerful sorceress viewed all of this through a sphere of acid green flames.

"Well, well, my pet," Maleficent drawled as she stroked the crow that rested on her staff, "It seems this turn of events shall work in my favour after all. These pitiful fools shall destroy each other, and then there will be no one to stand in my way. Pity the Master of the Keyblades couldn't be here to witness this reunion, but the boy was far too troublesome for his own good."

* * *

Xehanort cut through another stray memory as he ran. This castle seemed oddly familiar, but he supposed the Keyblade Master had been here while he was invading his heart, or that he had visited this place himself in one of his former existences.

The ground appeared below him as he ran to the next platform and engaged several more heartless in battle. He could feel, through the remains of the Master's heart no doubt, Akane somewhere near. The witch had to be close as well, and he could feel something below, the other Key Bearer must have entered the castle.

_It seems I shall have to destroy him after all. _

_**You can try, but you will regret it. I will see to that myself.**_

Xehanort kicked the heartless he had just struck. The Keyblade Master was supposed to be nothing more then a slight discomfort in his chest, but the boy was relentless. He struck out again with Amber and Ebony, and this time the heartless he made contact with turned into black ash.

_You cannot defeat me, boy. Has your current position taught you nothing? If you try to fight me, I shall destroy you again, and your little friend as well. _

_**You seem to be forgetting the fact that I'm still here. I also seem to recall killing your former incarnation in the Keyblade War. Then there was your heartless and nobody that Sora and I defeated. **_

Xehanort decided to ignore the boy. He would be nothing more then a memory soon enough.

He continued his passage up the castle, battling many more heartless and several stray memories on his way. Finally, he reached a room near the middle of the castle and saw an eerie green glow from one of the upper landings.

Pools of darkness appeared along the ground around him and then the heartless started to pour out of them. However heartless were a familiar adversary to the old Key Bearer. With one swift movement, Xehanort called Amber and Ebony, brought it through two heartless that were attacking, and jumped over the advancing wave to attack from behind. He could not hold that advantage for long, there were simply too many heartless.

As he waved through the darkness and clouds of black ash that were surrounding him, he could not help but be reminded of a time when he and the other Key Bearers would spar for hours on end. Akane was by far the most brutal, he loved battle, and it completely consumed him. Riku had a grace and an accuracy that none of the others could reach. Sora had an ever-flowing fountain of energy, he was not as skilled as the others were, but he succeeded them in his enthusiasm. Xahanort was the most calculating, he did not make a move if he could not predict the most probable outcome.

When the last heartless fell, Xehanort came face to face with the next obstruction he needed to remove from his path.

"I presume you received my message."

The witch known as Maleficent turned around to face him. She dared to smile as she calmly addressed the old warrior. "Indeed, I did. Pity that Pete never realized what he helped to accomplish."

"You have only accomplished your own downfall. I can not have you rivalling me for the position that I have worked so long for."

_**Watch out.**_

Without any warning or indication on her part, Maleficent slammed the end of her staff to the ground and a green flame flew toward Xehanort from the orb at its tip. The boy's warning had given him just enough time to move out of its path.

"Finish him," said Maleficent in an icy tone.

The familiar pounding of armoured footsteps filled the room as nearly two dozen armoured creatures came forth. They were not heartless, or any type of creature that Xehanort had seen before. Some had the head of a hog, others the hooves of a goat, and still others looked different entirely. They all wore dark, but unimpressive armour and were well armed, some with swords, others with spears or lances.

_**They're durable, but they are also unintelligent. Just hold on, Akane is almost here, I can tell. It will take both of you to defeat her.**_

Xehanort barely had time to spare a thought for his former master. He had always been able to sense when one of the other Key Bearers were near. Xehanort was slightly surprised that the boy was assisting him but then, he always did have his own way of doing things.

Never the less, the boy had spoken truth. As he fought the strange creatures Xehanort discovered that they were indeed, unintelligent and hearty, and both in abnormal quantities. The odd creatures did not seem to adapt any particular fighting style, and had no structure or strategy that he could find.

Maleficent had not fled as he had suspected she might. Instead, she was waiting out of the battles reach. She watched the episode with a calculating gaze. Had they met under different circumstances, Xehanort thought she could have proven a useful ally.

He had already eliminated several of the strange creatures when a painful squawk rang through the air, over the sounds of the battle. A brief lapse in the enemies' concentration allowed Xehanort a glimpse of the cause.

Akane stood, both Keyblades drawn, over the corpses of three of the creatures.

With a simple nod of acknowledgment from both men, they began fighting as a unit. For a moment, it felt as if the two Key Bearers were back in time, before the Keyblade War, before they turned against the one who honoured them with the ability to wield the Keyblades. In the blink of an eye, they seemed to be following an unspoken strategy, and before any of them could marvel at this, the battle was over.

The two armoured men turned to face the sorceress who met their stares, one cold and calculating, the other infuriated and unpredictable, with an even stare of her own. "Ah, the heroic reunion…" she said with a hint of amusement. "What shall you do now? Will you fight evil side by side? That never satisfied you in the past."

_**There is always a chance at redemption.**_

You have not seemed to believe in that for a very long time.

Redemption is futile. There will never be peace…only power.

You are no position to discuss shifts in power or redemption. You will die before you can accomplish either.

You are insane, Master.

I forgot I was dealing with someone who is still very much a child.

After thinking these words, Xehanort ignored the boy once more as Maleficent continued speaking. "You are doomed to destroy one another. You shall both meet the same fate as your pitiful former master."

"Enough," Akane said in a harsh voice that meant he was thirsting for battle again. "It is too late for your twisted words and cunning to save you. Defend yourself."

Akane and Xehanort each shifted into a solid battle stance, Maleficent raised her staff and slammed it back down, and acid green flames surrounded the witch and lined the room. As the flames in the centre of the room died down, a large black shape rose.

The two Key Bearers dashed out of the way, as the large dragon lowered its head and exhaled a flame similar to those that surrounded the room. The head turned to lash at Xehanort, who cast an aero shield just in time. Akane used this opportunity to leap into the air and strike the beast's large head with both Keyblades on his way down.

The dragon swung around, knocking Akane back with its tail before turning to exhale more flames at Xehanort, who utilised the way he had seen the way Maleficent angled her head to do this to jump onto her head and slashed her neck with Amber and Ebony.

They battled like this for some time, whether hours or minutes they could not tell. The former Key Bearers worked together, once more united against a common opponent. One would draw the enemy's focus so the other could strike. One would block whilst the other lunged. One would move when the other had to recover.

Then, when the dragon finally fell between them, there was no pause as the Key Bearers began to battle each other.

Akane leaped over the mangled corpse, even as it shrivelled and vanished into a dark pile of robes and green smoke. He brought one of his Keyblades down just as Xehanort jumped back to avoid the blow, and Akane's second Keyblade met by Amber and Ebony as the two former comrades and enemies met each others eyes for the first time in centuries.

"Akane, you were unable to defeat me before. What makes you think it will be any different now?" asked Xehanort in a dull tone.

Akane replied with a level voice, "That was not a true duel. The Master is not able to intervene this time."

_**Aren't I?**_

You cannot fool me, child. You could not possibly have foreseen this in your plans.

Only when that confidence is misplaced, as you so aptly proved all those years ago.

Xehanort was spared the need to reply when Akane struck at him with his free Keyblade. He pushed away from the blade in front of him forcefully and slid back several feet on the smooth castle floor. Xehanort took the opportunity to lunge at Akane while he recovered his footing from the sudden absence of pressure against his blade.

Akane sidestepped the attack and blocked Xehanort's follow-up assault with one Keyblade as he advanced with the other. Xehanort reversed behind Akane, and struck, this time making contact with the other man's shoulder.

Akane lowered one of his Keyblades as he spun around, and gashed Xehanort's thigh. Then their blades locked once before Akane spurned Xehanort and advanced again with both Keyblades. Xehanort cast Aero around himself to absorb one of the blows as he blocked the other with Amber and Ebony.

The battle was a constant flow of rage and wits. It spanned around the entire room as the two Keyblade wielders fought with a venomous passion.

Xehanort caught both of Akane's Keyblades, crossed over his own, and thrust out with his injured leg, to kick the other off the balcony, but the fall to the next one down was not enough to destroy a powerful warrior like, Akane, so he leaped out after his foe.

Akane hit the ground with just enough time to cross and raise his Keyblades, blocking Amber and Ebony before it cleaved him in two. He threw Xehanort back; the other Key Bearer flipped wile in the air, and landed on his feet in a kneeling position. Then they lunged at each other again.

* * *

Riku wondered how Xehanort had lasted for so long in this condition. He could feel the weakness building in the body that he scarcely inhibited as it fought viciously with the other Keyblade wielder. At the same time, he had to concentrate on the separate battles that his heart, mind, and soul were currently waging. He could not imagine doing this for more than a year while still maintaining a true sense of self.

Even as he thought this, he could feel the other Key Bearer's presences growing near. His plan had been successful so far, and soon the most difficult part would ensue. He hoped that the others would stay true, and wondered where this doubt had come from.

Someday, he would have to find out what happened all those years ago…but not yet. There was still too much that needed to be done to right everything that had gone wrong in _this_ lifetime.

_Sora was right. It never stops; there is always something, but this will be the last time that I make the choice._

However, now was not the time for reflection, as the last players were approaching the board, and all the pieces were moving into place.

* * *

Xehanort shifted to the side quickly as one of Akane's Keyblades brushed past him and struck the wall beside him. He quickly kicked the blade further into the stone and held it in place with his foot as he blocked the other offending Keyblade with Amber and Ebony.

Akane brought his head forward and butted Xehanort's with it. The other Key Bearer stumbled back a few steps before bringing up his Keyblade to block Akane's first attack, but the second made contact.

Xehanort struck Akane in the throat with his free hand and brought Amber and Ebony around to strike while his foe recovered from the unexpected blow. Akane swung one of his Keyblades and Xehanort jumped back to avoid it.

It appeared that Akane was about to lunge again, and Xehanort prepared to meet the attack when the boy that plagued his heart decided to prove why he held the title of Master.

_**Look up.**_


	23. In statu quo

Chapter 23: In statu quo.

Sora entered the familiar castle with Goofy and Vincent walking on either side of him. Mickey and Donald were a few paces behind them, as the small king told the magician about the spell that should prevent Maleficent from returning.

They had already fought quite a few heartless on their way through the many levels of the castle, and now several more were appearing out of dark puddles and portals. This time they were accompanied by two stray memories.

Sora summoned The Watcher and attacked the stray memory nearest to him. Vincent had suggested earlier that they strike at the ethereal foes before they had a chance to put onto effect whatever strategy they had in store. Sora heard several shots fired from behind him as Vincent assaulted the other stray memory. King Mickey, Goofy, and Donald were each using their own methods to defeat the surrounding heartless.

The stray memory that was battling Sora summoned forth a pair of ghostly looking kamas. It used one to catch Sora's Keyblade while it swiped at him with the other. Sora pushed down on his Keyblade and leaned back, scarcely managing to avoid the offending blade. Just then, a trio of bullets from Cerberus pierced the wraithlike enemy, and Sora was able to free his own weapon as it reeled back.

Sora advanced again with The Watcher, this time he managed to dodge the first Kama, and move forward to strike the enemy before it could follow up its attack with the second weapon. Sora jumped back and blocked the next attack with his Keyblade as the ghostly foe pulled back the second kama to strike, but just then, King Mickey appeared behind it and caught the hooked blade with his own Keyblade. A thundaga spell from Donald struck the stray memory and Sora used the moment it took to recover to free The Watcher and strike the eerie opponent again.

It faded away after another round of shots from Cerberus was fired into it. Sora turned to engage one of the few remaining heartless and defeated it quickly. He lowered his Keyblade as Vincent and Goofy finished off the last few, which they had been fighting. King Mickey walked towards the other end of the room, and then he called the others over.

There was a dark stain on the floor, and lying in the middle of it was Maleficent's distinct cloak. "It looks like Akane and Xehanort have just defeated her. Now is the time for that spell," explained the small King.

"Your majesty, Sora…" Vincent called from the small balcony outside the room. He was watching something on the landing below. Sora and Mickey trotted over and followed his gaze. Below them, Xehanort and Akane were now engaged in a fierce duel.

"Looks like this is it," Sora said, "Donald, do you think you can cast that spell while The King and I handle them? Goofy, can you stay with Donald? Just in case some more heartless show up."

"Sure, Sora," Goofy said happily, but then he took on a confused expression. "But didn't you say that it would take you and Donald for the spell to work against Maleficent's magic, your majesty?" he added as he turned to Mickey.

King Mickey nodded and then his ears drooped slightly as he took on a pensive expression, clearly trying to decide what to do. Then the Keyblade in his hand suddenly vanished, and he looked far too surprised to have willed it himself. He held out a gloved hand, obviously trying to summon the Keyblade, but nothing happened. Goofy and Donald looked nervous, Sora was confused, and Vincent was as unreadable as ever.

"The Master of the Keyblades has chosen for us," King Mickey stated contentedly. "He said the reason Riku gave me the ability to wield, was so that I could help Sora. I guess he's decided that this is the best way for me to help him now."

"But, your majesty, Sora can't fight Xehanort and Akane alone," said Donald.

"I won't be," Sora abruptly said in an unusually serene voice. "Riku's with me, and as long as the two of us stick together, there isn't anything to worry about. Besides, I doubt that both Akane and Xehanort will still be around for long, with the way they're fighting."

"Riku did say that the final battle will have to be fought by the Key Bearers alone," added Vincent. "It seems that the worlds intend to see this battle finished once and for all. Nonetheless, I intend to keep my promise to Riku for awhile still."

"Maybe _that's_ why The King can't wield the Keyblade anymore. He wasn't one of the original wielders," added Goofy.

"Well in any case, it looks like it's time for me and Riku to finish this." Sora said, looking down at the fight below. "See you guys later."

"Be careful Sora," said Goofy, "And you too Vincent."

Vincent gave a brief nod and then leaped over the balcony's ledge, drawing Cerberus as he descended. Sora smiled and nodded at his friends before jumping as well, Keyblade in hand.

Xehanort looked up just before Sora reached them, as if he had been warned of their presence. He dove out of the way, causing Sora to strike an unsuspecting Akane. Xehanort moved forward to attack Sora from behind, but ended up jumping back to dodge when Vincent fired a few shots from Cerberus at him.

Akane recovered and attacked Sora with one Keyblade, and then the other when the boy successfully blocked the first one. Sora staggered when the second weapon made contact with his ribs, and Akane moved forward to strike again. Vincent came out of nowhere and struck Akane with his clawed gauntlet as he fired a cover round in the direction that Xehanort had moved in. Then he spun around and fired at Akane, who lunged at his red-eyed attacker.

Sora jumped to his feet and cast a curing spell on himself. Then he moved to intercept Xehanort, who was about to attack Vincent from behind as he continued to fight Akane. The two Key Bearers continuously swung, blocked, and countered. Only a few times out of the many attempted strikes did one actually make contact with its intended target. After they had been duelling like this for some time, Sora noticed something strange about his opponent. His amber eyes would constantly shift, dilate, or glaze over for just a fraction of a second, as if he were reacting to things that only he could hear, see, or feel. Then Sora realized the reason for this odd behaviour. This was not the only battle Xehanort was fighting. He had heard before of one person having to fight an internal foe as well as an external one.

Sora could not help the small smile that appeared on his face as he fought with renewed fervour. He knew that what he had told his friends earlier was true. That he was not fighting alone. In addition, with Riku fighting by his side in a sense, there was no way he could fail.

_**Sora, watch out!**_

Sora had been about to lunge at Xehanort, but leaped back instead at his friend's warning. He moved just in time to avoid one of Akane's Keyblades. Akane then swung the other Keyblade at Xehanort, who blocked just in time and struck Akane with a heavy boot in retaliation. Sora lunged forward again, this time aiming at Akane. The duel wielder met Sora's Keyblade with on of his own, but could not counter with the second, as he had to use it to fend off Xehanort.

Akane broke his weapons free of the other Keyblades, but instead of attacking one of the wielders, he spun around and threw one of his Keyblades, just then, Sora hear Cerberus fire. Both weapons struck their intended targets. Vincent, who already looked as though he had taken a few solid hits, fell backwards as the Keyblade sunk into his left shoulder. He did not stand when the Keyblade vanished from him, but Sora could see that he was breathing.

_**Don't worry, he'll be all right. I need you to stay focused, Sora. I can only do so much on my own like this.**_

Sora returned his attention to Xehanort and Akane, who's Keyblades were crossed once more. Then Akane summoned his second Keyblade and Sora blocked the attack before countering, this time striking Akane in the thigh. It seemed like Akane had been injured enough to throw him off. Xehanort's eyes still shifted from time to time, and he would even flinch every now and again. Obviously, Riku was throwing everything he had into his battle.

With Akane now being the weakest link, Xehanort and Sora seemed to reach an unspoken agreement to finish him off before battling each other. Sora was not sure what his odds were against Xehanort alone, but he did not expect that they would be in his favour under normal circumstances. Hopefully, the internal battle with Riku would distract the warrior enough to even the odds.

For now, they worked together, and it felt oddly familiar to Sora, as though he had fought beside Xehanort before. Even Akane's style and ruthlessness seemed familiar, as if he had seen the man in battle many times before. Sora guessed that they had all sparred and fought together during the time before the Keyblade War. Something seemed to be missing from the scene now. _The Master... Riku, but…he's still here._

Xehanort feigned an attack, when Akane moved to block with one Keyblade and strike with the other, Sora attacked on the opposite side. Xehanort struck Akane before he had time to recover, then Sora moved in again. Akane caught The Watcher in both of his Keyblades just as Xehanort moved forward and thrust Amber and Ebony through Akane's abdomen. Sora had to twist his torso to avoid the part of the blade that stuck out on his end. He watched in a mild shock as the duel Keyblades linked with his vanished right before Akane fell to his knees with a shuddering gasp.

Without a moment's pause, Xehanort pulled Amber and Ebony out of his dying former comrade and struck at Sora in one swift spinning motion. Sora fell as he threw all of his weight backwards to avoid the offending blade, and used his momentum to roll up and assume a defensive stance. His jaw and will were set as Xehanort moved in for another attack. Sora blocked, and had to move quickly as Xehanort followed with several follow up attacks in succession.

All of a sudden, Xehanort cringed and favoured his left side as though he had been wounded, even though Sora had yet to make contact with his enemy. Sora decided to use the opening however, and struck Xehanort's right side before quickly dodging the other Key Bearers well-timed counter attack.

It was different from any of the battles Sora had fought before. He was used to being surrounded by heartless that were not terribly strong or intelligent. You just had to keep swinging or casting in their direction and eventually they were gone. Alternatively, he had fought calculating but slow enemies that you had to watch and wait to strike at just the right time or in a specific way that utilized their weakness. In this fight, there was no time to think, but just swinging would get him killed as quickly as stopping to ponder his next move. Instincts, reflexes, and sheer force of will seemed to take over. Sora was moving without consciously deciding to. He was following a strategy that he never planned or thought out.

Sora and Xehanort's Keyblades crossed, and then Xehanort kicked the smaller Key Bearer in the stomach. Sora had to roll to his left and then his right, evading the follow up strikes, before finally rolling up into a standing position. He blocked another blow, and then he was able to counter and strike Xehanort in the shoulder. Sora ducked another attack and tried to strike Xehanort again, but fell forward when he felt a powerful blow across his shoulder blades. He jumped up and staggered around to face Xehanort, barely able to maintain his grip on the Keyblade he was holding.

As Sora ducked, blocked, and deflected several more attacks, he realized that he had lost too much ground to recover at this rate. Unless he could figure out something soon, he was going to lose. Both Sora and Xehanort were breathing hard now, but the silver haired man was still approaching with his weapon raised. _This is it. Riku…I'm sorry._

Xehanort abruptly ceased his advancement as if he were being forcibly refrained. He fell to his knees as he raised a hand to his heart as he said, "No…this cannot be."

His body began changing back and forth between Riku's form and his own, just as Vincent had described the event in Hades' chamber. Sora lowered his Keyblade slightly and watched the scene before him in growing apprehension.

"Riku?"

Unexpectedly, it looked as if Riku stepped out of Xehanort. The man was still kneeling on the ground and clutching his chest. Riku stood in front of him, with his arms held out to his sides as though he were keeping the other back. To his ever-mounting concern, Sora noticed that Riku was partially transparent, had an odd glow to him, and his clothing shifted between his usual wares, and those of the Master from old.

"Sora," Riku said in a soft, calm voice. "I can't hold him for long. When I give the signal, you have to strike his heart."

"But, Riku… Won't that…" Sora stared at his friend with a puzzled expression before realizing the situation. "No! I'm not going to kill you! I can't-"

"You won't," interrupted Riku. "Sora, please, trust me. We have to do this... it's the only way. Don't be afraid. I will find my way back to you. I always have, right?"

Sora looked more defeated then anything else, "Okay, but I know you aren't sure about this."

It seemed as if Riku were pulled back into Xehanort, as though he could no longer keep the other at bay.

Sora swallowed hard and lunged at Xehanort before the warrior had a chance to stand. He knocked the unsuspecting man back, and brought down The Watcher on Xehanort's abdomen. Then, Xehanort kicked Sora's legs out from under him and both Key Bearers rolled away from each other and rose to their feet. Xehanort's ragged breathing and tensed muscled indicated to Sora that Riku had upped the ante in the battle that he was waging against his tormentor.

Sora attacked again, this time Xehanort managed to block. Sora had seen Riku use physical strikes beyond those with a sword during duels and spars, but had never used them himself since he was more clumsy and less strong. Sora noted somewhere in the back of his mind that Riku's physical strikes were similar to those he had seen Xehanort use. Sora decided to take a leaf out of his opponent's book. He kicked the other man's leg as hard as he could. Xehanort staggered as Sora attacked again, this time striking his adversary in the upper thigh. Another strike to the shoulder followed, and then Sora had to jump back to avoid a powerful counter attack.

Both Key Bearers squared off, each preparing to strike with as much force as they could muster. They charged and the next thing Sora knew, their Keyblades locked, and each was pressing as hard as they could onto the other's weapon, hoping to throw him off.

_**Sora, now!**_

Without a second thought, Sora quickly leaned back a little at the waist. It was enough to cause Xehanort's blade to slide down, and Sora twisted so that Xehanort had to catch himself from falling forward as the boy slid out from under his weapon. As Xehanort turned, Sora lunged forward and aimed The Watcher at Xehanort's heart. A beam of golden light shot out of the Keyblade and drove into the surprised man's chest.

Tears filled Sora's eyes as he watched Xehanort seem to dissolve into thousands of particles of darkness and drift apart.

Another, smaller form remained standing in the place previously occupied by the traitorous Key Bearer, surrounded by the swirling darkness that remained. It was the same form that Riku had appeared in a moment ago. The darkness drifted back into the chest of this form. After that, Riku ceased glowing and shifting, and became solid again.

Sora heard the now familiar sound of a lock clicking into place as Riku collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Sora tried to run to Riku, but felt himself being refrained by some unseen force. He reached an arm out toward his fallen friend, and discovered it was engulfed in light, as was the rest of his body. Then the darkness began wrapping itself around Riku.

"No!" As Sora struggled, he saw Riku's head move slightly. "Riku!"

Aquamarine eyes fluttered open, and then Riku moved to prop himself up on his elbows. It looked like it strained him to do that much. Sora could not tell if it was from pain, the darkness that was holding onto him so tightly, or both.

Riku's eyes widened as he focused in on Sora. The silver haired boy tried to get up, but could not. He reached a hand out to Sora, who was still trying to get to him. They both continued to struggle as one was swept away by light, and the other by darkness.


	24. Suiheisen

Chapter 24: Suiheisen

When Sora and Riku opened their eyes, they each found very similar, yet entirely different sights before them.

One beheld golden sands and crystal clear water sparkling brightly in the light of the sun that shone warmly overhead.

The other saw ashen shores and dark water that shone eerily in the faint light of the moon that hung coldly above.

Both boys slowly stood and called out for the other, even though they each knew that the other would not be there.

Sora, although in the warm sun, felt miserable. _What if Riku's dying? Xehanort's still troubling him and he's all alone now._ He wore a small frown as he brought one hand up to his heart. He felt the familiar sensation of knowing that the worlds were safe, as were most of his friends, but one very important person was not.

Riku, although in the bitter darkness, felt relieved. _At least Sora is safe. We finally trapped Xehanort for good._ He wore a small smile as he brought one hand up to his heart. He felt the familiar weight and pain of an unwanted dark presence, but it was different now, he could master it, and he would survive.

Both of them lowered their hands, then turned to the waves and walked slowly, one weighed down by despair, the other weary from pain. They each stopped when the water reached halfway up their calves.

Sora raised his face to the sky and closed his eyes as the sun warmed his tanned skin and his dark spikes bobbed in the breeze.

Riku lowered his face to the earth and closed his eyes as the moon cooled his fair skin and his light tresses danced in the zephyr.

Neither was sure of what to do, but both knew that they would find a way to the other. That had been their biggest mistake the last time; they had allowed themselves to remain separated. Neither intended to repeat that error.

Sora felt something bump into his leg. He opened his eyes and glanced down. There, floating in the water was a corked bottle. He noticed the note inside, but it was the seal on it that surprised him. A V broke into two lines that gracefully curved and spiralled, never actually touching, yet creating an elegant heart just the same.

Sora knew that heart. He had seen it many times now throughout the course of their journey. Riku's seal…Riku's heart. Sora picked up the bottle.

Meanwhile, Riku's thoughts had drifted to the letter he had written the night before they left their islands. The night he planned to leave alone, hoping he could avoid putting his friends in danger again. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. He had not understood why he phrased the letter the way that he did, but it had felt right, so he did not change it. Now, it made complete sense.

Sora removed the letter from the bottle and began to read…

_**Thinking of you wherever you are, as always.  
If everything goes as planned, and it rarely ever does, then you have probably figured out that I haven't been completely honest with you. I'm sorry.  
You don't have to search for me this time. You probably will anyway. And who knows? Maybe this time you will be the one who finds me.  
We now know that each world, while small on its own, is part of something much bigger.  
But remember, they share more then just the sky; they share their hearts. So even if they are divided again, they will still be a part of each other.  
And you are the one who will open the door.  
-Riku**_

Sora's eyes had tears in them while he read, but a grin tugged at his mouth as well. Then he felt an odd warmth that was not coming from the sun. Raising his head, Sora saw that a door had appeared over the shore. It looked as though it would open to the horizon it was set against, to that unreachable place where the earth met the sky.

Sora approached the door, and held out his hand to summon The Watcher. Nothing happened. Everything had gone back to the way it had begun. Sora looked at the door dejectedly. He could not open the door without the Keyblade.

_**Remember, you are the one who will open the door…**_

Sora reached out his hand, and a doorknob appeared with an overlapping heart and crown embossed on it. He turned the knob and stepped through.

The sight before him caused an odd stirring within him. _Déjà vu._ Sora was standing on a familiar dark shore, and he could see an even more familiar figure standing out in the water.

Riku turned his head to look over his shoulder and then turned to face Sora.

"I thought you agreed to let me go," said the silver-haired teen.

"I did, but I never said I wouldn't go with you," the brunette replied.

Both friends smiled, and then Sora broke into a run and tackled Riku in a fierce hug.

Afterwards, the two boys stood in the water.

"Why do I always get the strangest greetings from you?" asked Riku with a slight chuckle.

Sora's face was still bearing a brilliant smile, "What do you mean?"

"Everyone else gets a nod or a handshake, you know, something normal." Riku answered smoothly. "Kairi got an awkward hug that one time…of course, she practically left you with no other option. But me? You either grab at my face, cling to me and collapse in an emotional heap, or tackle me to ground."

"Well _you're_ the only one who I ever have to worry about not coming back." Sora replied, pointing at his friend accusingly, "And this little stunt didn't help to lessen that worry."

Riku shrugged and smiled, "It worked, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but did it work out the way you expected it to?" answered Sora while placing his hands on his hips. "Or is _this_," he indicated them standing together, "just a lucky fluke?"

The smile faded, and Riku looked down before answering softly. "This was what I had hoped for, but not what I expected. I couldn't be sure of exactly how it would work out."

Sora nodded, "so you finally decided to try just following your heart." His usual smile returned.

A few minutes later found the two boys in another familiar position. They were sitting shoulder to shoulder on the shoreline, with the waves flowing over to them. Sora was thinking about the Keyblade. Over the time that he had wielded it, there were naturally moments when he wished he were not a chosen wielder. Now, however, he was thinking about how much the Keyblade and the events of the past couple years had shaped his life and the lives of his friends.

Riku had been glancing at the brunette, and now he held out one hand and summoned The Watcher. He looked at the new Keyblade and then gently fingered the key chain attached.

"It worked," he said quietly.

"Yeah," Sora answered, looking at the boy beside him.

Riku turned the Keyblade around and held it in front of Sora in an obvious offering. Sora looked at the weapon in front of him and then turned his attention back to the silver-haired boy.

"Riku…?"

"If you want it, then take it." Riku stated calmly, still looking at the waves ahead. "But you're the only one I'm sharing it with from now on." Aquamarine eyes finally met blue. "You don't have to. You can just…go home."

"Do you remember what you told me before?" asked Sora. "About the worlds keeping us in the other's element so that we'd feel at home when we met again, and how I've always felt like home to you? Well, I think you were right, because I feel the same when I'm with you."

Sora reached out and took the hilt of the offered Keyblade. "I named this one The Watcher," he said as Riku took his hand away. "Because you took, and I kept, this stone while you were watching over me…when I thought I was watching out for you."

Riku nodded his understanding, and then Sora released the Keyblade, knowing that he could call upon it whenever he needed, and that it would do the same with him and Riku.

Riku stood and Sora did the same. "Welcome home, then," Riku said as he turned to Sora and held out a hand. Sora smiled and took it. Doing so, Sora felt another strange, but peaceful warmth spread through him. Riku raised his other hand, the way he used to when opening a dark portal. Only this time, a strange light appeared instead of the darkness.

"Riku, what-?" Sora cut himself off when he noticed the small smile that touched Riku's lips.

"You up for another journey?" asked the aqua-eyed boy.

A smile spread across Sora's face as well. "Together this time?"

Riku offered a brief nod, "Mm-hm, just the way it should be."

They turned as one and entered the light side by side. There would always be new enemies, adventures, journeys, and challenges, but they would face them together. Sora knew he had been right, as long as he and Riku remained beside each other, they could face anything. For now, however, their friends were waiting, and the worlds were safe.

_**Fin**_


End file.
